


More Than A Petrova

by Dark_Supernatural_Angel



Series: More Than A Petrova [1]
Category: Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Family Reunions, Multi, Reunions, Supernatural/VDVerse Crossover, VD Season 2, spn season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-03 08:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14565414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Supernatural_Angel/pseuds/Dark_Supernatural_Angel
Summary: Before Isobel commits suicide under Klaus' orders, she leaves Elena a letter that leads her to the one and only Dean Winchester; a human that could be the key to Elena's survival against the Original. The thing is, a plan against Klaus is not the only thing that Dean brings with him when he arrives to Mystic Falls…he brings something that will further turn Elena's world upside down.Time Frame:April 2014- VD (mid-2x17)- SPN (post 8x06)Ages:- Dean Winchester (Jan. 24, 1979 = 35 years old)- Sam Winchester (May 2, 1983 = 30 years old)- Elena Gilbert (June 22, 1996 = 17 years old)Warning: VD-dates are changed to fit the SPN-datesOriginally Published on FFN:December 8, 2012 to March 1, 2013





	1. Another Way

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x17 – "Know Thy Enemy"].

 

 

****

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 - ANOTHER WAY**

* * *

**April 2014: **

The sound of crows cawing and the crunching of rubble can be heard throughout the grounds as a black car made its way through the paved paths of Grove Hill Cemetery. The vehicle came to a stop once it reached its destination before a man exited the car and opened the rear door. A woman in her late twenties with long black hair and brown eyes stepped out of the vehicle. She took a few steps towards her true destination but when she heard no movement behind her, she sighed.

"Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me." Isobel Flemming stated which did the trick as an anxious and hesitant teenager with very similar features to the older woman stepped out of the vehicle.

Elena Gilbert scowled at Isobel as the man got in the car and drove away.

"So is that what happened? You were compelled to betray Katherine?" Elena questioned as she followed her vampire mother. It seemed like they were going deeper into the cemetery.

Isobel rolled her eyes but she kept on moving forward; she didn't have much time left. "If I was, I couldn't tell you."

"So you lied. You did find Klaus, didn't you? He knows where I am now." Elena rambled on as she put the pieces together. She knew never to trust this woman yet here she was…a hostage because of her biological mother's betrayals. "Are you taking me to him?"

Isobel didn't answer. Instead she crouched down at one tombstone and brushed the fallen leaves that covered it away. Before Elena could ask what the vampire was doing, the tombstone's cravings caught her attention.

_In Loving Memory_  
Isobel Flemming  
Aug. 18, 1979 – May 4, 2007

Elena gave the vampire a questioning look as she wondered why she would be brought to an empty grave.

Isobel started to explain how the tombstone was placed by her parents, Elena's biological grandparents, after it was clear that Isobel's body wasn't going to be found after her disappearance. She explained how they would visit every week even though there was no body buried there. The vampire even included that she believed that even though there is no body that maybe her humanity is what was buried since the Isobel her parents knew, the Isobel that Alaric knew, the Isobel that dreamed of meeting her daughter one day, had died the day she became a vampire.

Elena was stunned during Isobel's explanation because she wasn't expecting this. When she was taken, she didn't expect to actually learn something about the woman who gave birth to her. She didn't expect to see the Isobel that she could have easily called her mom if she hadn't met her vampire side, the side that would betray her own flesh and blood, first. During this moment, the doppelganger was seeing some of the humanity that the vampire claimed she didn't have anymore.

Before Elena could ask Isobel anything more, the vampire's phone started to ring. As the phone call progressed, mentions of freeing Elena caught the teenager's attention. She ended up waiting with baited breath for Isobel to end the call.

Elena didn't wait a minute after the call ended before she pounced. "Who was that?"

Isobel sighed as she pocketed the device, only to pull out a small envelope. Elena's brow furrowed when she saw that her name was written on the envelope.

Elena's attention was brought back to the vampire when Isobel started to apologize. "I'm so sorry Elena that I was such a disappointment to you but I hope he won't be." The vampire stated as she placed the envelope in the teenager's hands.

Elena frowned as she looked between Isobel and the envelope. "He? He who?" She questioned as she tried to figure out who Isobel was referring to; she was coming up blank.

Isobel gave Elena a sad smile as she felt her time slowly coming to an end. "He'll explain…give him the chance to explain."

The doppelganger sighed. "I don't understand."

Isobel pointed to the envelope before she rushed through her command. "Just follow my instructions inside. Call the number and recite the message I wrote with it. Don't leave anything out and he'll come. If you want to survive Klaus' plan, you're going to need him." The vampire stressed out with such urgency that the doppelganger couldn't help but take her word for it yet she wondered why she was hearing of this new plan now.

"How can you be so sure that he'll help?" Elena questioned softly as she tried to fathom a possible reason in her mind. What stranger would want to help her against Klaus?

Isobel sighed as she took a few steps back from Elena. "He'll do anything for family."

"Family?" Elena repeated instantly while she came up blank once again on who this man could be. The only family she knew she had left were Jeremy and John.

Isobel nodded but she never elaborated. "Goodbye Elena." The vampire declared before she ripped off her Lapis Lazuli necklace. The vampire's skin began to burn the moment the necklace wasn't in contact with her skin anymore. Isobel screamed as the pain consumed her but it wasn't long before her body was covered by flames.

Elena gasped as she watched her vampire mother burn to death before her eyes.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

It took a while before Elena snapped out of her shock long enough to call Stefan and tell him where she was. Elena still couldn't believe that Isobel just killed herself or that she felt bad about the vampire being gone even though all she had brought into the doppelganger's life was pain and disappointment.

While she waited for her boyfriend to pick her up from the cemetery, Elena's focus went back to the envelope that Isobel had left her. She was hesitant to open it at first but Isobel's urgent instructions before she burned kept running through her head. Eventually, Elena's curiosity won out and she opened the envelope.

The doppelganger was surprised to find three things inside; two Polaroid photos tucked inside a folded letter.

The first Polaroid photo was of a man in his late twenties with a brown leather jacket. He had short brown hair but Elena had a feeling that it was lighter once and he had this startling pair of green eyes that had a look in them that said that they had seen more than someone his age should see. In a way, the look reminded her of the one she had seen on occasion when it came to the Salvatore brothers since they have seen some truly horrible things over the past few decades as vampires. The teenager had to admit that the man was handsome but there was something about him that she just couldn't place. Her eyes scanned over the photo for a bit longer before the handwritten note on the bottom caught her attention.

_Dean Winchester, 2008._

Elena's brow furrowed at the name. _Was this the man that Isobel was referring to?_ The name wasn't familiar to her but she pushed that thought away as she moved to the second photo.

Elena instantly recognized the high school cheerleader in the photo as Isobel yet what stunned Elena was the teenage boy that was also present…who just so happened to look like a younger version of Dean. Elena got her confirmation that it was Dean when she noticed the handwritten tag at the bottom: _Isobel and Dean._ Isobel was smiling as she wrapped an arm around Dean's waist as if she was trying to get him to look into the camera. Dean smirked into the camera while Isobel took the photo with her free outstretched hand.

_They seem happy._ Elena thought as her eyes shifted between the two teenagers in the photo before she moved on to the letter.

Elena inhaled deeply before she started to read the letter, she wasn't sure what to expect at this point.

> _Dear Elena,_
> 
> _If you're reading this then I guess that means I'm dead. I should have given you this sooner but I only wanted to use this resource if it were the absolute last resort because this path could open up a lot of theoretical worms from the proverbial can._
> 
> _I know you may be confused by this point and I know there is a huge chance that you won't trust what I have to say but I truly believe that if all other plans have failed by this point then this resource will work…otherwise the rumors I have heard of him have been greatly exaggerated._
> 
> _Dean Winchester is the man you need in order to stop Klaus. If there is any human that could do it, it would be Dean…he's accomplished quite a reputation for himself when it comes to the supernatural world and it is imperative that you **don't** say his full name out loud until you are face-to-face with the man in the picture I have included. He has the answers you need Elena and I'm sorry I couldn't tell them to you in person but I figured that a letter would be the loophole I needed to push you into the right direction. _
> 
> _Call Dean at 785-555-0128 and leave the following message:_
> 
> _"I'm Elena and I'm here to leave a message for Dean at the request of Isobel. The day she told you about has come and your expertise is needed. I can be found at 37.7600° N, 78.8708° W. Please hurry. September 1995."_
> 
> _Don't deviate from the message and don't repeat it to anyone, not even to the Salvatores. If you need to, burn this note afterwards because **no one** can know about this call until he has already arrived. If word got out, there will be people trying to interfere with him getting to you._
> 
> _Good luck and I'm truly sorry that I've been a disappointment to you._
> 
> _Isobel_

After reading the letter over a third time, Elena stared wide-eyed at it as Isobel's words ran through her head. She truly wanted to believe that this Dean Winchester could help her against Klaus but how could someone from Isobel's past do that? How could he have a reputation in the supernatural world if he's human?

Since she figured that she truly had nothing to lose by making the call, Elena pulled out her phone and dialed Dean's number. She paced around Isobel's tombstone as the phone continued to ring on the other end.

It was only after the fifth time did the call finally go through for her.


	2. Reunion Between Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x17 – "Know Thy Enemy"].

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 2 - REUNION BETWEEN FRIENDS**

* * *

**Next Day:**

Elena's mind was still reeling by the time morning had arrived. She didn't know what to think since so much had happened during the previous day. Not only did she have a heartfelt conversation with John later that evening and she was told that she would be meeting with a lawyer the next morning (that morning in fact) about the boarding house but she still couldn't stop thinking about the call she had made to Dean when she was still at the cemetery.

She thought she'd only have to leave a message but she was surprised when she actually got to talk to him for a few moments. She didn't know what to expect, especially with the way Isobel had described him but he was definitely as cryptic as her vampire mother had been. He had asked her a bunch of questions to verify her identity and thankfully those answers were included in Isobel's letter. Once Elena had given Dean the included coordinates, she got a few more instructions that she needed to follow which included a bizarre one that involved Damon. She wasn't able to get any answers as to why Dean wanted her to stick with Damon until he arrived but he kept repeating that he'd answer her questions once he got to the boarding house. He even went as far as to tell her to call another number if he hadn't arrived within twenty-four hours; apparently he was less than a day's drive away from Mystic Falls.

But she had to push Dean's instructions aside when Stefan came to tell her that the lawyer was there to see her. The Salvatores waited outside, discussing their next move against Klaus, while Elena officially signed the deed to the boarding house, making it her own safe house against vampires.

However, the action seemed to be pointless though when Elena announced that she was going to school. The Salvatore brothers protested since the point of a safe house was to keep the intended target inside it until the threat was gone. The doppelganger wouldn't listen as she stated that being near her super-badass witch best friend was the next safest place for her to be. With that being said, Elena headed for school with Bonnie and Stefan tailing behind her.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

_Well that didn't go as planned_ , Damon thought as he moved to pour himself a drink while he listened to the receding sounds of Bonnie's car leave the property. Damon had plans to just drink the morning away since on some level Elena was right, they couldn't do anything at the moment if they didn't know where Klaus was.

Unfortunately for Damon, his morning plans were derailed when he heard a car pull up onto his driveway. He listened closely until he pinpointed two human heartbeats inside the car before their voices could be heard from where he stood.

" _Alright so we're here, are you going to tell me now?_ " Damon heard one of the passengers say after the engine was turned off. The vampire didn't recognize the voice which had him immediately on edge.

" _What are you six? I said I'd tell you once we got here._ " The second passenger replied which got Damon to smirk because he knew that voice…the response was also a factor too in the owner's identity. He may not have heard that voice in a long time but he'd never forget it; it's one of the voices he made sure not to forget.

The first voice huffed. " _And we're here._ " Damn heard the sound of the car door opening and closing as he made his way towards the front door.

" _Yeah well…I don't want to repeat myself so you're gonna have to wait a little bit longer Sammy._ " The familiar voice stated as they approached the boarding house.

Before _Sam_ could reply, Damon opened the door. He was immediately face to face with Dean Winchester with a duffel bag in his hands and a taller man with similar features, who Damon assumed was Sam Winchester, Dean's younger brother.

"Well I'll be damned," Damon stated with a smirk as his greeting to the men, "You know when you didn't return my calls I assumed you were dead." The vampire stated as he gave the hunter a pointed look.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Well if it makes you feel better, I was indisposed for the past year." He declared as he walked past the vampire after he had moved out of the doorway. Sam followed close behind Dean while he gave a wary look to Damon.

"Which would explain my unanswered updates." Damon continued as he closed the door before turning to face his guests. Sam just gave Damon a confused look due to his mention of leaving _updates_. What updates?

"Yeah…I never got those." Dean stated with a shrug as he gave an impressive nod to the boarding house's décor; it wasn't often that he'd step foot into some decked out home.

When a few moments had gone by without a word, Sam released an uncomfortable cough.

Dean got the hint and gave his brother what he wanted. "Right Sammy, meet Damon Salvatore; a vampire I met and hunted with a couple months before I visited you at Stanford." The older hunter introduced; the vampire gave a quick nod to the younger hunter.

Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Another vampire friend of yours? Since when do you befriend the things we hunt?" He questioned yet it was clear to Dean that Sam still hadn't gotten over the issue he had with Benny, the vampire that helped Dean out during his _absence_ last year.

Dean gave Sam a narrowed look; he thought they were past this Benny-issue. "Since they _saved_ my ass and besides, Damon is a different kind of vampire from Benny." With that said, Dean turned to Damon with an expectant look.

Damon rolled his eyes before he allowed his vampire face to appear to show Sam that he was a different vampire before it returned to normal. Dean was satisfied with this display for two reasons while Sam remained wide-eyed at Damon. After hearing that Damon was a vampire, Sam was expecting his second set of teeth to descend but he was stunned when fangs and bloodshot eyes with prominent veins appeared on the vampire's face before it returned to normal.

"So let's just leave it at that." Dean finished off his order but deep down he knew that Sam wasn't going to leave it alone; he never does.

"I doubt he will," Damon stated with a scoff before he turned to face Sam, "but it's nice to finally meet you Sam. I've heard a lot about you." And the vampire had. During his travels with Dean during the summer of 2005, the vampire had actually learned quite a bit about the hunter and his college-bound brother. At times, the way Dean would describe his dynamic with his brother had Damon remembering the times when he and Stefan use to be like that…before Katherine had screwed everything up between them.

"Well I can't say the same about you." Sam declared with a curt nod. Even though Sam towered Damon thanks to his 6'4" frame, the hunter was even more on edge after learning that Damon was not only a vampire but a different kind than he was used to.

"That's fine by me." Damon stated with a shrug as he led the Winchesters further into the boarding house. Once his trolley was in his sights, the vampire made a detour towards it. "Drink?" He offered the brothers as he poured himself a glass of bourbon.

As the brothers took a seat, with Dean placing the bag by his feet, they both accepted the offer even though Sam was more hesitant to do so.

"So if you never got my messages then why are you here?" Damon questioned moments later as he handed Dean his tumbler before he handed one to Sam.

"I got a call from Elena." Dean stated before he took a sip of his drink. "Is she here?"

Damon scoffed as he finished his drink in one gulp. "Ah, well little Miss Know-It-All went to school. We just created a safe house for her and yet she leaves it to go to _school_." He said while pouring himself another glass. "She's driving me crazy! I swear I never worked so hard to keep _one_ human alive in all my years." He ranted as he downed one glass after another.

Dean's eyes widened at the news. "She what?" He exclaimed with an incredulous look on his face.

"What's wrong with her going to school?" Sam questioned as he gave his brother a confused look. _What's the big deal?_

Damon finished another glass before he waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Nothing…if there wasn't a thousand-year-old psychotic vampire after her."

Dean groaned as he dragged a hand over his tired face. "And the fact that _I told her_ yesterday to stick by Damon until I got here."

An amused look came across Damon's face; he hadn't expected that. "Well as you can plainly see, she doesn't follow instructions very well."

"I'm starting to see that. Anything else I should be aware of?" Dean grumbled before he took another sip of his drink. It didn't take him long to realize that this case was going to be a lot more complicated than it needed to be.

Damon mulled the question over a bit before he shrugged his shoulders. "Aside from the fact that she wants to hand herself over to Klaus to keep her loved ones safe…nope, nothing at all." He stated with some snark before he finished off another glass. It still pissed the vampire off how a mere human could bring so many complications with her.

Dean groaned because it was clear to the hunter that his absence didn't really do any good for the doppelganger even though over the years, he reassured himself that his absence was best for her…was _safer_ for her. Apparently that was never the case.

A confused Sam continued to look between his brother and the vampire and yet he couldn't figure out what the big deal was. He knew this was another case but he didn't understand why Dean was getting so _involved_ in this Elena they were here to protect. The younger hunter already had a clue that the vampire felt something for the human but where did that leave his brother? What was the connection?

"Why does that sound familiar?" Sam questioned moments later after Damon's words resonated through his head. When it was clear to Sam that Dean wasn't going to say anything, the younger brother went for his drink to pass the time until someone answered him.

Damon smirked. "I think the cliché phrase, _like father like daughter_ , comes to mind." He said with ease before raising his glass.

Sam choked on his drink when the hidden meaning behind Damon's words clicked in his mind. Dean immediately moved to pat Sam on the back until his coughing subsided. While doing so, Dean gave a murderous glare at Damon every so often.

"I guess you haven't told him yet." Damon snickered from behind his glass; his morning just got more interesting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** December 12, 2012 (aka: 12/12/12)


	3. Story Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x17 – "Know Thy Enemy"].

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 3 - STORY TIME**

* * *

 Dean glared at the vampire. "What gave you that idea?" He sneered as Sam's breathing started to slow down. "You okay Sammy?"

"Please…tell me…he's joking." Sam said between coughs as he took in a few deep breaths. It was bad enough the first time when they figured out that Dean had fathered an Amazon girl that wanted to kill Dean just because he was her father but now…Sam couldn't handle the news. If Dean was a father, he would have told Sam about it the moment he knew; that is not something you keep from your brother…right?

Dean sighed as he pulled his hand back. "I wish I could."

Sam turned to Dean in hopes that maybe he was reading the situation wrong but the guilty look on his brother's face was all the confirmation he needed. "Oh that's just perfect." Sam blurted out as he flew his hands up in the air before he slumped into the couch. "Not only have you been keeping secrets from me but you told a _vampire_ that you were a father before your own brother!" He protested further before he glared at his guilty brother.

"Don't go there Sam." Dean warned with a hardened stare. It was obvious to Dean that Sam thought this was another Benny-problem all over again (him befriending and trusting a vampire).

Damon took a sip of his drink before he added his two-cents in; things didn't need to escalate any further. "If it helps, he didn't tell me. I figured it out on my own."

Sam turned to glare at the vampire. "How?"

Damon smirked. "I'm just awesome like that." He quipped before he took another sip of his drink.

"No Damon, seriously how did you figure it out?" Dean asked as a dozen worst-case-scenarios popped into his head. He _never_ told anyone about being a father, let alone being the Petrova doppelganger's father so if Damon figured it out, was it something that others would have picked up on? Did anyone else know?

Damon shrugged, not really seeing what the true problem was. "It's not that hard to put together."

"Meaning?" Dean pushed since he needed to know if anyone else had figured it out like Damon had.

Damon sighed as he swirled around the remaining liquid in his glass. "Well, you both share some mannerisms." He stated as he started to mentally compare the two humans.

The stubbornness was definitely inherited because Damon remembered how Dean wouldn't budge when it came to a job or when it came to an argument that he was so sure he was right about. When it came to certain things, Dean just wouldn't budge on the subject. Elena, on the other hand, displayed her stubbornness whenever she didn't get her way or when she disobeyed a suggestion that was initially made for her safety…something that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Another trait was the charisma. Dean would use his charms on the ladies and he could talk his way around people until he got whatever he needed from them, whether it was for business or pleasurable purposes. Even when the going got tough, Dean would stick with his charms to get through the rough patches as his façade told people that he was alright. Elena had a charisma that had everyone falling in love with her, whether as a friend or as a lover, she was just a people-pleaser and quite enjoyable in practically anyone's company. Of course this charisma had diminished since her adoptive parents' death but that was understandable.

Their ability to put others before themselves was something Dean and Elena did without question. For Dean, it was mainly seen when he hunted because he would put himself in harm's way to protect an innocent. Sometimes he would outright chose to put himself in the line of fire to give another person a chance to survive. For Elena, this may have been seen through minor actions in the past but ever since the supernatural came into her life, Elena's compassion is the strongest in the group as she worries for everyone's well-being, whether she was friends with them or not.

Yet the most similar thing of all between Dean and Elena (that Damon could think of on the spot) was their fierce love for those they cared about. Damon didn't have to witness this to know that Dean would do absolutely anything for those he considers family. Damon knew that if Dean had to, he would move heaven and earth when it came to protecting Sam and the vampire would bet that the same could be said for how far Dean would go when it came to protecting his daughter. The fact that Elena is willing to sacrifice herself to Klaus to protect all her loved ones in Mystic Falls just proves to Damon that she shares another strong trait with her biological father. A trait that is mainly admired among mortals yet it seems like the very thing that could end a life prematurely.

"Plus when the topic of Elena's birth-father came up, you came to mind for some reason." Damon continued, as his mind focused back on the conversation.

The brothers didn't notice that the vampire's mind had been making comparison notes during that minor pause. Instead their attention shifted between each other and the vampire.

"After I did some digging and after I remembered the task you gave me, it just made sense why you'd want her to be protected." Damon finished off mostly to Dean in hopes that it would be enough of an explanation. He didn't want to go into how he looked into Isobel's past until her teenage years only to discover a forgotten photo of Isobel and Dean. That photo forced him to check back on Dean's school records only to come to the conclusion that he _did_ attend the same school as Isobel for a month. The fact that _the_ month was around the time that Elena would have been conceived was enough to convince the vampire that he was right in his initial suspicions.

The brothers nodded their heads along as Damon topped off his drink.

"Although…you did leave out the fact that she was my sire's doppelganger." Damon added in with a pointed look directed at Dean before he took a much needed sip of his drink. With all the stress this Original sacrifice business has been bringing him, Damon didn't think twice in increasing his alcohol intake.

Dean gave the vampire a sheepish grin. "I thought it would be too much of a future reveal for you."

Damon scoffed. "As if getting a request from the future wasn't odd enough for a vampire."

"Touché." Dean agreed with a smirk before he took another sip of his drink.

Sam's brow furrowed out of confusion; he was doing just fine keeping up with the conversation until that last comment. "Wait, the future? I thought you met each other in 2005." He asked as he looked between Dean and Damon.

"We did but when I had my little time trip with Chronos to 1944, Damon was passing through Canton." Dean explained with a little laugh as he remembered to his surprise when he ran into the vampire while he was hunting the time god with Eliot Ness. The experience was a bit touch-and-go for Dean as he, at times, didn't know if he would return to the present but seeing a familiar face and meeting a man that resulted in his favorite movie was enough to make the time-travel trip quite an adventure.

After hearing that, Sam looked to Damon with a cocked eyebrow.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I was meeting with Ezra for some information when Dean came out with some new threads. He seemed to like them." He ended off with a smirk as he remembered back to that time.

Damon remembered how his original task in Canton, Ohio was to meet up with Ezra Moore, a woman who was well versed in the supernatural world. If you needed information, she was a woman that you could seek out for answers. In this case, Damon needed more information on the unsealing of the Mystic Falls tomb. Damon was ready to get down to business once he entered Ezra's tailor shop but her attention was elsewhere as a newly dressed Dean stepped out. Damon would have ignored Dean and his newspaper-reading partner (Eliot) but that all changed when Dean turned around and recognized the vampire. Damon's original plan was pushed to the back of his mind once he learned that Dean was actually a friend of his from the future. Wanting to learn more about the future and what he could look forward to, Damon offered his help to the hunters only to have Dean ask him a favor before they ambushed Chronos. Damon didn't think much of the favor at the time but he accepted it anyways.

The vampire was brought back to the conversation when he got a response.

"Well Ezra did a great job." Dean defended while remembering that he had stored that suit away after his return to the present. He just couldn't wear it again afterwards…it wouldn't feel right in a way.

"Ezra?" Sam questioned after the name didn't ring any bells for him.

Dean laughed softly as he remembered the older woman. "Think a female version of Bobby."

Sam smiled a bit at the reminder of their lost friend before he schooled his features. "Okay but then what happened?"

Damon took that as his cue to summarize what he just thought back on moments ago. While doing so, he took a seat in the chair opposite to the brothers. He didn't go into details about his original plans since they weren't relevant to the present but he was grateful when Dean added in parts he excluded or that he wasn't present for.

When it came to the favor, Dean took over in the explanation. He explained how in 1944, he told Damon to keep an eye out for a girl named Elena and that she needed to be protected at all costs. When the vampire asked how he was supposed to find _one_ girl with only her given name to go by, Dean just told him that he will _know_ it was the right girl because he wouldn't be able to walk away, his curiosity wouldn't let him. Dean did tell Damon though that trouble was bound to find Elena by the time she turned sixteen in 2012. The hunter never told the vampire that the reason for that year was because that was when it would be more likely for vampires to start mistaking Elena for Katherine.

"And that's it?" Sam questioned afterwards as he looked between the other men before he stopped at Damon. "You agreed that quickly?"

Damon shrugged. "Well to be fair I didn't remember it until a year or two ago. I try to stay away from the time traveling…it gives me a headache." He finished with a shake of his head. He had his fair share of time travel stunts during his early years as a vampire when he begging Emily Bennett to send him back in time with a spell so that he could warn Katherine about the Council's plans against her and the other vampires. Those stunts never changed the original outcome though; he always went back as an invisible observer.

"Join the club." Dean stated with a huff as he took another sip of his drink. His trip to 1944 may have been Dean's recent time travel adventure but it wasn't his only one. He's been back to 1861, 1973, 1978, and then forward to an alternate 2014 (just not in that order). With all that experience, Dean figured that Damon only remembered the new 1944 memory once the hunter had returned to his original time.

Sam exhaled deeply while his mind was still trying to wrap itself around the new information. He then turned to face his brother. "So if you knew that Elena needed protection, why not go yourself instead of getting a vampire to do it?"

Dean sighed as he finished off his drink before he answered. "You know why Sam. With all the enemies I've gained over the years, my presence would only put Elena in more danger."

"Then how's this any different?" Sam countered without breaking his analytical glance on Dean while gesturing towards the vampire.

Dean groaned; he didn't like the scrutiny he was getting as they should be focused on the problem at hand. "Isobel and I both agreed that I would only be called in as a very last resource."

"Isobel giving Elena the number was her way to get around Klaus' compulsion." Damon interrupted before Sam could divert his questions onto Isobel. "She knew the moment Klaus got a hold of her that she wouldn't be able to call Dean personally if the time came for it since she'd be under Klaus' control." Damon continued while he pieced the whole thing together; it all made sense now that he thought about it.

"The letter was Isobel's loophole." Dean added in as he caught onto Damon's line of thinking. The hunter also remembered his phone call with Elena the previous day. She had mentioned the letter and the message she was to deliver to him.

Sam sighed as he ran his hand over his tired face. "That's fine and all, Dean, but that still doesn't answer how you found out about Elena in the first place." The hunter pointed out to his older brother.

"Can I answer that once Elena gets here?" Dean asked in hopes that he could postpone that particular unraveling story to a later time.

"Dean." Sam said with a pointed look at his brother.

"What? I only want to explain it once." The eldest Winchester said with a huff before he moved to get up and stretch his legs and put some distance between him and his brother.

"Fine." Sam stated with a sigh; he knew when to not push Dean on an issue.

Damon looked between the two brothers before he decided to break the silence. "If that's the case, how about you tell me what you've been up to lately." He asked as he tried to keep his excitement contained. He's been dying to know whether the rumors he had heard about the brothers were true or not since they walked through his door. You never know with a grapevine as vast as the supernatural world what is true and what is false.

Dean scoffed from his spot by the window beside the fireplace. "How about you tell us what's been happening with Elena first since that is the reason why we are here." He countered as he turned to face the vampire. They've put off the inevitable long enough. It's time for Dean to learn just how much trouble Elena is currently in.

"You used to be more fun." Damon protested with a frown as he watched the hunter move to stand behind the couch Sam was still sitting on.

Dean rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well things change. Now start talking." The hunter demanded which pushed the vampire to get another drink.

Once he was ready, Damon clued the hunters in on everything that's happened over the last few months since Katherine's return to Mystic Falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** December 19, 2012


	4. I'm Dean, that's Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x18 – "The Last Dance"].

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 4 - I'M DEAN, THAT'S SAM**

* * *

Things were looking up for Elena as she surrounded herself with excited students for the evening's decade dance. Yet that good vibe was instantly shot to hell when Dana told Elena at lunch that a guy named _Klaus_ wanted her to save the last dance for him. While Dana thought the request was cute, Elena was horrified. The moment Elena and Bonnie realized that Dana had been compelled to deliver the message, they went to search for Stefan. They needed to leave school…immediately.

The drive back to the boarding house was silent as they each tried to figure out what this meant for them. Was Klaus in town? Was he coming for Elena now? Were they ready to take him on? There were all sorts of questions running through each of their minds but all that seemed to stop when they pulled up to the boarding house, only to find a black 1967 Chevy Impala parked behind Damon's blue Chevy Camaro.

Stefan let out an impressed whistle at the sight of the classic car; he allowed himself that brief moment to appreciate the car from afar before the idea that Damon had visitors sunk into his mind.

"I didn't know Damon was expecting anyone." Bonnie said as she turned her car off.

"He wasn't." Stefan stated as he slowly stepped out of the car. Bonnie and Elena followed his lead yet Elena had an idea on who the Impala belonged to…she just didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Either way, now is not the time to be having guests." Bonnie continued as the three of them made their way to the front door. "We have a serious problem to discuss that can't wait."

"And it won't." Stefan reassured the witch before they ventured inside. Stefan wasn't able to hear much of the conversation once he entered the boarding house but he heard enough to know that Damon and his guests were in the living room.

"Damon?" Stefan called out for the benefit of Elena and Bonnie yet he was the only one to hear his brother's response of _'let's get this over with'_ which confused the younger Salvatore.

"What brings you home, little brother? I thought school was where you wanted to be." Damon called out and teased from the living room. He knew full well that Stefan could hear him either way but his increased volume was for the benefits of the humans in the two rooms.

"Plans change." Stefan called back before he came to a stop at the living room's threshold when he took in the sight of two men he'd never seen before. He watched as both men stood up, making it as clear as ever that they were the tallest in the room; both being over six feet tall. Stefan shifted his gaze between the two guests and Damon. "We need to talk." He finally told his brother as he felt Bonnie come up behind him followed by Elena. He would have preferred his girlfriend to be behind him but he knew that Bonnie was just adding another obstacle between Elena and the guests.

"Then by all means, talk." Damon said nonchalantly but he could feel the tension in the room. It only increased, however, when the three newcomers noticed that one guy had his eyes on Elena while the taller one had his eyes on Stefan. Damon was amused when Elena only seemed to be focusing on Dean yet the vampire couldn't fault the hunter for his stares; this was the first time he actually got to see his daughter in person.

Stefan wasn't as on edge as before once he realized that the two men were just humans yet Bonnie's senses were telling her that there was something more to the two men in front of her.

After a few moments of silence, Damon rolled his eyes for everyone's stubbornness. "They already know so just get on with it." The older vampire interjected which got Stefan, Elena and Bonnie to look at him with incredulous looks. "What?" He questioned before he realized that both hunters were now focused on his little brother, something he didn't like yet he understood; they were hunters after all.

"It's nothing," Dean stated with a shrug before he continued; no one needed to know of his concerns at the moment, "but I'd rather get the tests out of the way before we talk freely about our next move."

Elena's brow furrowed out of confusion as she turned to look at the man she recognized as Dean. "Tests?"

Dean nodded as Sam got to work on muttering a demonic exorcism under his breath. Damon and Stefan both heard Sam's Latin mumblings but Damon gave Stefan a look that told him to ignore it for now. The Winchesters already explained to Damon what they needed to do once he had informed them that they had company pulling up the boarding house's driveway.

"Vampires, werewolves and witches aren't the only supernatural creatures out there." Dean started to explain as he let Sam do his exorcism thing. "There are creatures that can _mimic_ humans so easily that even the closest relative to the original human wouldn't be able to tell the difference. We just want to test that you are really you and not some imposter." He finished as he went to retrieve the duffel bag he had left by the couch earlier.

"How?" Bonnie questioned as she gave the older man a suspicious look. They didn't know their names and yet they wanted them to do tests for them…that didn't sound right to the witch.

"Well for a vampire, he just has to show us his fangs since creatures _can't_ mimic other creatures." Dean stated before he turned to give the vampire brothers an expectant look. Damon had already warned the Winchesters that only he and Stefan had been granted an invitation to the boarding house since Elena became the legal owner that morning (so anyone else who crossed the threshold would be human).

Damon smirked at Dean. "So that's why you had me show you earlier."

"It was one of the reasons now do it again." Dean countered without missing a beat which seemed to impress Elena, Bonnie and Stefan.

Damon rolled his eyes before he allowed his face to transform into its vampire form; blood replaced the whites of his eyes while the veins around his eyes became more prominent before he flashed his fangs. "For the record, you're more paranoid than I remember." He protested before his face returned to normal.

Dean shrugged. "Well after what I've been through, being paranoid kind of comes with the territory." He declared before he turned his focus onto Stefan.

The younger Salvatore did the same as his brother as he allowed his vampire face to make an appearance for a few moments before he was told to reign it back in again.

Dean nodded his head in approval before he turned back to his duffel bag to retrieve the small chemical jug, a few silver knives and two hand towels. "Alright then, for humans the tests are just cutting yourself with a silver knife and then pouring Borax on a different patch of your skin." He explained as he pointed to the appropriate items while watching the girls out of the corner of his eyes.

Elena and Bonnie gave each other confused looks before they turned to the older man for answers.

Before Dean could give them an answer, Sam stepped in since he just completed the demonic exorcism without a hitch (no possessions were present). "It's because shapeshifters are allergic to silver and Borax is highly corrosive for leviathans."

The girls looked to one another before they looked to the vampire brothers; one was bored yet the other was just as confused as them.

"I'm sorry a what?" Bonnie voiced out loud for them as she watched the older men take off their respective jackets before they each threw a hand towel over their shoulder.

"That's not important right now." Dean stated as he finished rolling up his left sleeve before he grabbed a silver knife and moved to stand in front of Elena. The hunter noticed how everyone (minus Sam and Damon) had tensed as he made his way towards her. "Just know that it sucks ass when they take the shape of your face and wreak havoc while wearing it." He stated with a smirk in hopes that his attitude would diminish the tension. He also hoped that his statement could help Elena relate better to him since she actually had a double of her walking around somewhere.

"Speaking from personal experience?" Elena softly questioned as she remembered the times that Katherine had impersonated her over the last few days. If anyone could understand Dean's need to make sure the right people were in the room, it would be the doppelganger herself. Before her mind got too carried away on the thought of Katherine, she noticed that the taller man had copied Dean in his movements, yet he now stood in front of Bonnie.

"You have no idea." Dean stated with a sigh before he angled himself and Elena so that everyone else had a clear view of their arms. Dean exchanged a few looks between Sam and Damon before he turned to face Elena. "Ready?" He asked only to receive a small nod from Elena as her gaze was fixed on the blade in his hands. "Look after your brother Damon because I don't need him pouncing on us while we do this." The hunter quipped without taking his eyes off the blade in his hand as he checked that he had all his bases covered. Dean was aware of Stefan Salvatore's issues with human blood so the hunter was pleased when Damon had both of his hands free and ready in case he had to stop Stefan in any way.

"We?" Elena asked with a quizzical stare at him before she looked back at the knife again.

Dean smirked. "Oh, we're testing ourselves in front of you too kiddo. Trust goes both ways. Even when my brother and I are separated for a short period of time, we greet each other with these tests just to be safe." He explained while remembering how he had tackled Sam the first moment he saw him after his escape from Purgatory. Dean had doused Sam in Borax and holy water before cutting him with a silver knife, all within the span of two minutes before he did the same tests on himself for Sam to see. Once the memory cleared from this thoughts, Dean moved the blade closer to his left forearm.

"It's annoying yet necessary." Sam added in before he copied his brother's movements.

It wasn't long before the Winchesters sliced into their forearms until a trail of blood was seen. They each removed the blade from sight and displayed the clean wound to the room's inhabitants. With them being cleared, the Winchesters took their hand towels, wiped the blood off the knives they used before they held the towel over their flesh wounds. Sam and Dean each grabbed smaller silver knives for Elena and Bonnie and a few hand towels for them. The girls took the knives and instead of slicing their forearms, they sliced their hands like they did in the past. When nothing happened to the girls' wounds, the Winchesters quickly exchanged the knives with the towels. When they dumped the soiled knives onto the waiting towel, Dean grabbed the small chemical jug of Borax.

Without hesitation, Dean pouring the chemical over his left hand and when nothing happened, he poured some over Sam's hand. When nothing happened again, the older hunter turned to face the girls, who then held out their non-injured hand to him. When neither of their skins showed signs of blisters or a corrosive reaction, a collective sigh was released from the Winchesters.

"We're all clear." Dean stated with a chuckle as he used the towel to thoroughly dry his hands for the moment. The other three copied him.

The older vampire scoffed. "You won't be until you clean that mess up." Damon protested as he moved away from Stefan since he seemed to have his blood craving under control. It was a bit touch-and-go when the Winchesters had started to bleed but Stefan's rigid form was the only sign that he was being affected. Damon remained by his brother's side throughout the whole testing ordeal.

Dean gave Damon an incredulous look. He couldn't believe that a vampire was worried about a minor spill. Before he could throw his towel down to mop it up, Bonnie used a bit of her powers to clean it up. She didn't do it for Damon's sake, she just didn't want to waste any more time dealing with an unnecessary spill.

Dean smirked at the witch after watching her do her thing. "You must be Bonnie."

"And you are?" Bonnie questioned with a raised eyebrow. Normally she wouldn't speak to an adult with no disregard but she only had one thing on her mind; defeating Klaus.

Dean didn't know whether to be impressed or irritated with Bonnie, he even went as far as sizing her up since all the witches he's dealt with were at least old enough to legally drink. While he admired her flare, he didn't like it being used on him. So before this conversation moved to worse topics, he took her cue and introduced himself. "I'm Dean, that's Sam." He finished as he waved towards his brother, who was dealing with the items they used during the test. They had wordlessly swapped their towels for some bandages before they rolled their sleeves back down. Sam quickly did the same for the girls as he gave him sturdy bandages for their hands in exchange for their used towels.

Once that silent exchange was complete and before anyone could give off their own introductions (whether they were necessary or not), Dean turned his full attention to his daughter. He actually took the time to really take in Elena for the first time. There was no question that Elena took after Isobel when it came to her looks; from the brown hair to the brown eyes, based on appearances alone, no one would think that Dean was her father.

Dean gave Elena playful smile. "It's good to finally meet you Elena. I have to say, you and Katherine may look alike and yet in a way you don't." He stated as he looked her over once again; he still couldn't believe it.

Elena's eyes widened. "You've met Katherine?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** December 24, 2012


	5. The Real Curse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x18 – "The Last Dance"].

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 5 - THE REAL CURSE**

* * *

Elena's eyes widened. "You've met Katherine?" She questioned in slight fear and awe. If he came across Katherine, she was amazed that he managed to get out before she sunk her claws into him.

"Nope but Isobel gave me a photo of her so that I knew what you would look like." Dean stated with a chuckle but when he saw Elena's eyes widen the way they did, he saw something that he did pass down to her. When Elena's eyes widened the way they did, Dean caught sight of the green specks in her brown irises; green that he could only give her.

From afar, those green specks wouldn't be noticeable which would be problematic when Katherine was concerned but even now, having only Katherine's photo at his disposal, he could instantly see the differences between the photographed Katherine and the real Elena. It still amazed Dean how he could spot the differences between the two so easily when they were ultimately destined to be identical. No matter how either of them dressed or how they wore their hair, their eyes and their mannerism is what gave the two of them away to this Winchester. Aside from the stories he's heard, based on Katherine's photo alone, Dean got the vibe that she was a girl that you would need your guard up while having a good time with her. When it came to Elena, on the other hand, Dean could see her as the sweet girl-next-door that everyone just adored and who'd they ultimately want to protect because of her kind nature. The hunter didn't have to know either doppelganger to get two distinct impressions from a shared face.

Elena's nose scrunched up in confusion. "Why didn't she just give you a picture of _me_ if she needed to? I mean she could have gotten it from my Uncle John if she needed one." She stated after thinking the whole thing over for a bit. After she got over the bit about Isobel giving a complete stranger a photo of her vampire ancestor while claiming it to be her, she couldn't help but wonder why not give him an actual photo of her and not Katherine. It wasn't like Isobel couldn't get John to snatch one up for her to give to Dean. So why didn't she?

Dean shrugged; he had wondered the same thing when Isobel had originally given him the photo. "She could have but you were _twelve_ the last time I saw Isobel so that picture wouldn't have really helped since I needed to stay clear of Katherine too." He explained as he moved back to lean against the couch's armrest yet he still remained in full view of Elena. The hunter also took notice that everyone else had remained where they stood during the tests while their attention was on him or Elena.

Elena was flabbergasted by that piece of information. "You've known about this…about _me_ …for five years?" Even when she said it out loud, she didn't know what to make of the information. She was kind of still reeling from the fact that he actually came after she called him yesterday.

Dean exhaled deeply; he wanted to tell her so much yet he didn't want to tell her a thing because the timing wasn't right. They didn't have time to bond since he was initially there for a reason. So he went for the basic line that would hopefully be enough for her, for all of them, at the moment. "I've...known about the supernatural since I was a little kid but I've been a hunter since I was sixteen." He stated before he gave a side glance towards Sam; he didn't correct his older brother since this was ultimately for Dean to tell Elena. When Dean saw that Sam wasn't going to interrupt, he gave his brother a grateful nod before he turned back to look at Elena. "I've only known about the doppelganger sacrifice for the past five years."

"And you're just coming now to help?" Stefan questioned with some irritation before Elena had the chance to. He didn't like how this guy just _knew_ things about Elena when it was obvious that she hadn't met him before that afternoon. "Why not five years ago?" He finished off a little more harshly as he glared at the human. Normally he wouldn't be so hostile yet when it came to Elena's safety, all bets were off.

Dean's kind demeanor was gone in an instant before he gave Stefan a murderous glare that would have people backing away from him. It's the one he usually gave to those that threatened his family in any way whether the threat was meant for Sam, their father, Lisa and Ben or now Elena, Dean would glare at the perpetrator as if his very stare would incinerate them on the spot. "Because I had bigger dicks to deal with and at the time I didn't know much about it compared to what I know now." He stated through his gritted teeth as he clenched his fist a few times. "And believe me when I say that knowing what I do now makes a difference."

"How so?" Stefan challenged which caused Damon to shake his head out of disapproval. Damon was actually the only reason why Stefan wasn't by Elena's side at that moment. The older vampire kept stopping any chance his younger brother had from stepping away from his side. Normally it'd be the other way around but Damon knew both Stefan and Dean and he didn't need for them to go at it just yet.

Dean remained silent as he stared at the teenage vampire who was technically decades older than the hunter himself. Dean didn't want to have to deal with him but Damon told him that if Elena was involved then his brother wouldn't be far behind her. It was clear for Dean then that Damon was bitter about the relationship between Stefan and Elena but he wasn't going to worry himself about his daughter's personal life at the moment. His only concern was to make sure that she lived through Klaus' attempts.

And if he had to show a few cards up front, then so be it.

So with a look from Damon, Dean showed his theatrical card hand. "Well for starters the sacrifice isn't to break some shaman's curse on the two species…it's to break a curse that was placed on one of the Original vampires, Klaus."

That seemed to grab the group's attention since up until that point, they believed that a shaman had placed a curse on the vampires and werewolves six hundred years ago to stop them from wreaking havoc; limiting the vampires to roam at night while the werewolves could only transform on the night of a full moon.

Sam, on the other hand, looked at his brother quizzically (he finished packing up their duffel bag, with the soiled towels resting on top of it) as he was not aware of any curses on those species. Little did Sam know was that there wasn't just one distinct vampire and werewolf race but quite a few variations of them. Unfortunately Dean was well aware of this fact after learning about the sacrifice from Isobel.

"Why was he the only one cursed?" Elena questioned, bringing Dean back from his little 'compare the species' moment he was having in his mind.

Dean moved his hand to scratch the back of his head, as if he was thinking about how to word the information in the most efficient manner, before he moved his hand to the back of his neck. "Originally Klaus was born into a werewolf bloodline but since he become one of the first vampires of _his_ kind, it made him into a hybrid once he executed his first human kill. His witchy mother cursed him so that his werewolf side remained dormant."

"So let me guess, he wants access to that part of him." Damon added in while everyone else seemed to be processing Dean's information.

Dean nodded. "Yup and if he does that, he'll be even more powerful than he is now."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest as he gave his brother a skeptical look. "And you know this how Dean?"

"Cas told me." Dean simply told Sam as if that was answer enough. And it would have been, if Sam had taken the hint but he didn't.

"That's it…no elaboration?" Sam questioned, even though he knew that Castiel had been a sore subject for Dean since his return from Purgatory. And while he felt for his brother since the angel had sacrificed so much for them, Sam needed more answers because he felt like he was going in blind on this case while Dean had all the insight he needed to succeed.

Dean shook his head while giving Sam a dismissive look. "We don't have time to dive into the Originals' origins when Klaus is on his way here." The older hunter explained while reminding everyone on the time constraint they truly had over their heads when it came to the situation.

"How do you know?" Bonnie questioned, after remaining quiet for quite some time. She would rather have all the information out on the hypothetical table before they spoke of a plan.

"Mystic Falls is one of the sacrifice's requirements since it's the birthplace of the curse." Dean answered without missing a beat. He made sure that he memorized everything there was to know about this sacrifice. He had spent every spare moment he had researching the involved species and the start of it all before he managed to question Castiel about it when they were in Purgatory together.

"And to break the curse you need a witch, the moonstone and the three sacrifices; a vampire, a werewolf and the Petrova doppelganger." Bonnie listed off the last main requirements to show that everyone was at least on the same page for the moment.

Dean nodded before he added in another requirement. "And it also has to be done on the night of a full moon."

Damon was the first to move as he went to retrieve himself another glass of bourbon; he definitely needed another one since he abandoned his before the tests were executed. Sam took the opportunity to walk across the group and dump the duffel bag by the table in the hallway before he returned to his spot by Dean and the coffee table.

"Well since Isobel was under Klaus' compulsion, it's safe to assume that he not only has the moonstone but Katherine as well." Damon offered up after he filled the silence with some clinking from the glass bottles.

Dean shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Having Katherine won't matter. He can just _make_ a vampire for the sacrifice. What he really needs to find is a werewolf and Elena."

Elena sighed. "Well he already knows where I am."

Damon froze in his movements, his newly made drink forgotten, before he turned to face Elena. "What?" He protested, not realizing that he had said it the same time as Dean. They both gave each other pointed looks before they turned their attention back to Elena.

Elena snaked her hand to the back of her neck as she gave it a small squeeze as she could feel the tension in her body rise. "That's why we came back from school. Klaus made his first move." She explained as she tried to hide her fear. Up to this point, she made herself believe that Klaus was only this terrifying legend but now that he's made his own move against her, it was hard for her to process that there truly was a millennia old vampire that was specifically after her.

"How?" Dean questioned in a voice that left no room for arguments.

Bonnie decided to speak up since she's the one that recognized the signs first in the cafeteria. "He compelled a student to tell Elena to save the last dance for him tonight at the decade dance."

"So we go to the dance and we find him." Damon stated dismissively. He didn't see what the problem was; sure it was a scary thought to have Klaus so close to their town but at least now they knew where Klaus was going to be next.

Stefan gave his brother an incredulous look. "Really? How are we going to do that? We don't even know what he looks like."

Damon rolled his eyes before he turned to Stefan. "Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply."

"He could be anywhere at any time. He compelled somebody at school." Stefan argued back without missing a beat before he turned his focus to the girls. Before he could remind them how it was _their_ idea to go to school that day in the first place, he noticed that Sam and Dean were giving each other silent looks that spoke volumes between them before one of them decided to speak up.

"If you go to the dance, you'll be walking into a trap." Sam pointed out, since he was very familiar with the concept of setting up traps as well as being trapped himself either alone or with his brother. Being cornered was never fun but they've always managed to turn things around…somehow.

"Not only that, but Klaus will have the advantage." Dean interjected with another point before anyone else could argue against Sam's statement. "He knows what Elena looks like yet none of you know what _he_ looks like." He reminded them with the valid point that Stefan had made moments before.

The sound of the front door creaking open caused all responses to stop amongst the group as the newcomer was revealed to be Alaric Saltzman, the town's resident vampire hunter. Elena had texted him about the unexpected meeting during their earlier drive to the boarding house.

"There you are." Damon stated as his greeting to his drinking buddy as he, Stefan and Sam had a clear view of the history teacher as he crossed the threshold.

Sam released his breath before he looked to Dean with a grin. The older Winchester gave his brother a quizzical look before he took a few steps to stand beside Sam to see what the cause of his grin was. When Dean saw the source, he couldn't help but grin too.

"Sorry I'm late." Alaric apologized as he ventured further into the boarding house yet he was caught off guard at the two grinning men near Damon.

Dean chuckled as he walked over to greet Alaric. "You're just in time for the party. It's good to see you again Ric." Dean finished with his hand out for a handshake.

Alaric hesitated as he looked between Dean and his proffered hand. "Yeah…you too." He stated as he shook the other hunter's hand.

The Winchesters both recognized the hesitance and blank look towards them but they didn't let it show.

"You know for the longest time Bobby thought you were dead." Dean declared as he moved to stand beside Alaric as he joined the circle, pushing Bonnie and Elena to shift over to take up Dean's former spot. While everyone was focused on moving to accommodate the newest addition, nobody noticed how Sam was trying to resist his body's need to tense up at the name of their most trusted ally since he knew Dean's current approach needed to be done; another test if you will.

Alaric released a nervous chuckle. "Well I guess you can set the record straight for me when you see him again." He stated nonchalantly while trying to avoid eye contact with them without it being obvious.

"I'll do that." Dean promised with a smirk and if he was looking directly at Sam, then his brother would've noticed the dangerous glint that was forming in Dean's eyes. If Dean wasn't so used to masking his emotions, it'd be clear to _everyone_ that something was up with the hunter.

Damon cleared his throat at that moment which brought Dean and Alaric's attention to him. "Can we get back on topic here?"

Dean nodded his head, which Damon took as his cue.

"So Klaus made his first move…chances are he's going to make another at the dance tonight." Damon recapped for Alaric's sake before he turned to face him, "I need to be a chaperone for that."

Dean scoffed. "You can't be serious. Did I not just say that you'd be walking into a trap?"

It's was Damon's turn to smirk. "Trap or not, we know where he's going to be. We can't just sit around and wait for _his_ next move. We need to strike now." He argued in hopes that Dean would think the idea over some more and agree with him.

Noticing the glare directed at Damon, courtesy of Dean, Elena quickly stepped in. "Okay, so we find him and then what, hmm? What's our plan of attack?" She asked as she looked around the group for any ideas.

For the briefest moment, Sam and Dean shared a look between one another before Dean turned to walk away.

Taking that as a sign of him leaving the conversation, Bonnie was about to declare herself as the plan of attack against Klaus. The witch's mouth was open with words ready to spill out from her lips yet she never got the chance as everyone's attention seemed to be on Sam when he started to shake his head.

"Absolutely nothing." Sam declared instead as he drew all the attention onto him. His hands were itching for the item tucked into the back of his pants as he bid his time. Timing was everything.

Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, Dean caught Alaric off guard and in a sleeper hold. The unsuspecting hunter instantly grabbed the arms around his neck as he tried to break free but Dean's hold was too strong. Not only did Dean's many years of training give him an advantage in the current situation but so did his time down in Purgatory.

"Instead we do this." Sam added as he pulled out his gun from behind his back before he pointed it at Alaric's chest.

Elena gasped as her hands flew to her mouth with one thought on her mind; _why is this happening?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** December 31, 2012


	6. Intruder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 6 - INTRUDER**

* * *

"What are you doing?" Stefan protested as he moved towards Dean and Alaric but Damon held him in his place. Damon's interference, however, didn't stop Dean from tightening his grip, causing Alaric to let out a choking sound.

The hunter grunted while ignoring Alaric's attempts at breaking free. "Saving your ass!" Dean yelled to the group, yet his eyes landed on Elena, as he applied more pressure. If things worked out accordingly, Alaric should fall unconscious in a few short moments.

"How?" Bonnie questioned firmly while forcing herself not to use her powers on Dean since he was human. If Damon had been the one in Dean's place, Bonnie would have used her powers on him immediately to set Alaric free.

"By stopping you guys from revealing the plan to the enemy." Sam stated while his gun was still trained on Alaric's body; this was to stop Alaric from making any escape attempts from Dean.

"I'm not the enemy!" Alaric managed to sputter out as he tried to get more air into his lungs. He could feel the light-headedness starting to set in for him.

Dean scoffed before he turned his head so that his lips were hovering over Alaric's ear. "If that were the case then what is my name Ric?"

The ridiculous question seemed to snap Elena out of her shocked state. "De-"

"Elena, don't." Sam interrupted before Elena could say his brother's name while keeping his attention on Alaric.

Elena quickly looked to Damon for some sign since he seemed to know the Winchesters better than her and the others and yet the look in his eyes told her not to argue with Sam. She really wanted to fight Damon on his assessment but she couldn't risk it. One wrong move could result in Alaric's death, and without his ring, it would be a permanent death for him. Then again Dean was human so the ring wouldn't have helped Alaric in this case.

So Elena watched, along with the others, as Alaric's struggles started to decrease while his breathing became more labored yet the one thing that was abundantly clear was that Alaric had no answer for Dean.

And Dean didn't like that.

"Your hesitance is my answer." Dean sneered into Alaric's ear before he tightened his grip once more.

Alaric could feel his body going limp due to the lack of oxygen entering his body. The last thing Alaric remembered before the darkness consumed him was a sneered comment from Dean about him needing a nap.

The room remained silent as they watched Alaric's eyes shut as his arms fell to his side. Dean took that as his sign to release his hold yet he only did so after getting a confirming nod from Sam that Alaric wasn't faking it. The oldest Winchester gently unwrapped himself from Alaric before he gently placed him on the ground. Once Alaric's head touched the ground, Sam quickly tucked his gun back into its usual place before he moved to Alaric's side. Once Sam kneeled down beside Alaric, Dean went to retrieve their duffel bag from earlier.

"Well…I wasn't expecting that." Damon stated which broke the silence in the room.

Unfortunately the three high school students took that as a sign to start asking their questions simultaneously.

"Knock it off!" Damon yelled moments later as he looked between Stefan and the girls; the questions were getting to be too much. Thankfully, his outburst got him the silence he wanted. When it was clear that no one was going to say anything else, Damon directed their attention to the Winchester brothers. "Now pay attention. I, for one, want to know what they are testing Ric for."

Stefan and the girls looked between one another before they turned their attentions to watch the Winchester brothers at work. It was pretty obvious that no one was going to speak until it was deemed safe to do so like before.

The Winchesters, on the other hand, had eliminated the theory of Alaric being a shapeshifter and a leviathan by performing the same tests that they had performed earlier during the shouting match moments ago. Alaric's skin did not blister in any way when it came into contact with the silver knife or the Borax. They knew that he wasn't a vampire since he entered the boarding house without an invitation and Sam just proved the demon possession theory wrong when Alaric's body showed no signs of a reaction after Sam completed the Latin exorcism. Dean even went so far as to walk up and grab an iron poker he saw by the fireplace before he returned and made contact with Alaric's skin. When nothing happened, that ruled out their spiritual possession theory. With every testable theory proven wrong, Sam and Dean each gave each other confused looks.

Damon noticed those looks. "What's wrong? What's the verdict?" The vampire questioned as he hid the worry he had for his friend.

Dean sighed. "Well he's still human…"

"Of course he's human!" Elena interjected; the idea of Alaric being anything but human seemed bizarre to the doppelganger.

Dean's eyes narrowed at Elena; daughter or not, he never liked it when he was interrupted. "But it's _not_ Alaric." He finished sternly, sending the message home at just how serious a problem this could be.

Damon got the message loud and clear which caused him to pinch the bridge of his nose out of frustration. They didn't need another complication like this and the vampire knew it. "Is there anything else you can do?" Damon asked while looking between the Winchester brothers.

"Hang on for a second. How can you tell that this isn't Alaric?" Stefan cut in while pointing at Alaric's unconscious body before Sam or Dean could answer Damon.

Sam and Dean looked to one another, as if silently debating with one another on what to say, before they turned back to Stefan.

"He should have recognized us the moment he walked in yet he didn't look like he knew us." Sam explained while gesturing between himself and Dean. The blank look on Alaric's face when he entered the room earlier didn't sit well with Sam and why would it? That's not a look someone showed someone else after they hadn't seen each other in a few years. That kind of response is a reason alarm bells should be sounded. Sam had originally met Alaric, through Bobby, a month before Dean returned from Hell back in 2008. While Sam had been distant with Bobby during those four months without Dean, Bobby had been training Alaric with the basics when it came to hunting. Luckily Alaric was still around when Dean returned which is when those two met, though neither knew of the other's ties to Isobel. The last time either brother had seen Alaric Saltzman was in 2010, before they encountered the remaining horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Everyone was silent as they processed what Sam had said yet some still didn't want to believe the possibility that Alaric currently wasn't himself.

"Maybe it's been awhile since you've seen each other?" Elena suggested even though she knew that it was a lame one.

Dean cocked an eyebrow at his daughter. "I'm a hard face to forget kiddo." He quipped before his expression turned serious as he stood up. "Plus tack on our reputations and we have every ally and enemy alive knowing our mugs." He finished while pointing between himself and Sam, who also stood up shortly after his brother did.

Damon gave an understanding nod as he could relate to Dean's statement. The vampire knew what it was like to be recognized either by face or by name when it came to the vampire community. It's never fun when people know about your history before you've ever met them.

"That couldn't have been your only clue." Bonnie stated as she stared at Alaric's body. The witch still couldn't believe that Alaric wasn't truly Alaric at the moment and not because of the person in question but because of her powers. Her powers were still giving her the same readings it always did when it came to Alaric, so she was baffled that two humans could tell that something was off when her powers couldn't.

Once again the Winchester brothers looked to one another before they gave a simultaneous answer with one name; Bobby.

Stefan was stunned when his enhanced hearing had picked up Damon's mumbled version of the answer right when the Winchesters had said it. This caused Stefan to give his brother an incredulous look but Damon didn't acknowledge it. The older Salvatore was more focused on the conversation since the reminder of Bobby just confirmed the Winchesters' suspicions even further. Not only did they have Klaus to deal with but apparently a passable spy with Alaric's face.

"What about Bobby?" Elena questioned even though she had no idea who that was. She did remember that Dean had brought the name up earlier though.

Dean sighed. "Bobby has been dead for almost two years now." He started off slowly since Bobby was still a sore subject for the hunter. He exhaled deeply before he continued, "Ric would have known that but when I brought Bobby up earlier, he answered me as if I could go off and tell Bobby the good news the next chance I got."

"Is there a chance that Alaric never got the news?" Elena asked softly, not wanting to offend the Winchesters in any way, especially when it came to their dead friend.

"That's highly unlikely Elena." Damon answered instead of the Winchesters, which got everyone's attention to be directed at the vampire. Damon looked directly at Elena before he continued. "Bobby was the go-to guy for hunters. If you ever needed answers, you either called Bobby or you called someone who could get you in touch with Bobby. Basically every hunter in the business either knew Bobby personally or they knew someone who did or they've heard of him. News of Bobby's death would have made its way to all the hunters on this side of the globe and then some." He explained while the Winchesters nodded along in agreement. Damon had met Bobby a few years after the human had started hunting, only to meet him again during his travels with Dean many years later. Now that he thought about it, Bobby and Ezra did share similar vocabulary choices.

Bonnie exhaled. "So basically you're saying that Alaric would have heard about…Bobby even if he stopped hunting altogether?" She summarized while looking between the three men.

They all nodded.

Elena nibbled on her lower lip as a terrible thought came to mind. "Then who were we about to reveal our plan to?" She worriedly stated as she looked towards the unconscious body by the Winchesters' feet. Everyone else followed her gaze to the body.

"That, my dear Elena, is the million dollar question." Dean stated as he crossed his arms across his chest while looking down. He was fighting off the urge to kick the unconscious form since its technically still Alaric's body.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asked with a sigh as she looked between everyone in the room before she stopped at the Winchesters. "What _can_ we do now?"

"Well I have an idea." Sam declared after a few moments before he turned to look at his brother with a grimace on his face. "But you're not going to like it."

Dean scoffed as he met his brother's gaze. "I haven't liked a lot of things lately so just hit me with it Sammy."

Sam exhaled deeply, bracing himself for Dean's reaction before he stated his idea. "I think Meg could help."

By the looks of Dean's face, Sam knew that he was right; Dean didn't like his idea at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 5, 2013


	7. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 7 - PREPARATIONS**

* * *

"Meg?!" Dean shouted as he gave Sam an incredulous look. "Have you completely lost it?"

"I'm not seeing another option here Dean." Sam argued back with a huff; this wasn't a foreign reaction to him. "We can't call Crowley because we're kind of at war with him so Meg is our best lead. She could know more about this than we do." He pointed out firmly. Sam knew that Dean had every right to be pissed off at Meg after everything she's done to them over the years but Sam knew that they had to put their hatred aside if they wanted answers.

"How so?" Dean questioned as he moved to Damon's trolley for a much needed drink. "Meg only worked with us because _Cas_ gave her protection against Crowley. When I got blasted to monster land with Cas, there is a huge chance that Crowley snatched up Meg too. For all we know, she could be dead." He firmly pointed out before he downed a glass of bourbon, only to have Damon there ready with another one for him. Dean nodded his thanks but he didn't take a sip of his new drink.

Sam turned to face Dean in his new spot by Damon. "Or she could just be a hostage and if we summon her, she would be in debt to us. She'd have to help us." He argued back.

Dean scoffed. "No demon in their right mind would help _us_ of all people." He declared before he took a sip of his drink.

"The same could be said for vampires and yet here we are." Sam rebutted back with a wave of his arm as he gestured towards the Salvatore brothers. Neither vampire took offense to it; they knew it was difficult enough for a hunter to side with a thing they were trained to hunt down and destroy.

"I'm sorry but did you just say demon?" Bonnie interrupted as she looked between the hunters. She (and everyone else) was still hung up on Dean's mention of 'monster land' before the brothers revealed just why Dean was against summoning Meg…because she was a demon.

The Winchesters paused in their argument to nod at Bonnie. It was also a good time for them to realize that they had an audience for their current argument. They were so use to arguing in private or in front of people they actually knew better. Then again, that's what you get when dealing with brothers.

The witch's eyes widened at the confirmation. She had read about demons in her Grams' grimoire and they were described as beings that shouldn't be messed with. "You want to summon a _demon_ …here?" Bonnie sputtered out, as if she couldn't wrap her head around the Winchesters' next move.

Sam gave Bonnie a quick nod before he focused back on his brother again. "Demons are one of three things that I know for certain that can possess humans. She could have more information about that." He reminded Dean as he watched for any signs of what his brother was thinking.

Dean continued to stare into his glass as he thought over Sam's points. He knew that his brother was right and yet he didn't want to make themselves vulnerable again by putting their trust in Meg. If they had more time, Dean figured that they could figure out what exactly is inside Alaric yet that was the issue…they _didn't_ have a lot of time. It also didn't help that Dean was getting this cocky look from Damon as if he was telling the hunter that they could take a measly demon down.

Dean sighed, which was enough of a sign for Sam to finish this argument once and for all. "You know I'm right Dean. We can't waste any more time arguing about this. You said so yourself that Klaus is on his way here and we need to know if this _incident_ is connected to Klaus or not."

Dean exhaled deeply as he handed his glass to Damon, who didn't hesitate to finish the drink off (he wasn't going to waste his own liquor).

"I really don't like this." Dean declared as he turned to face Sam and the rest of the room's occupants. Luckily for him, they decided to remain quiet during this disagreement.

"I know." Sam stated before he gestured towards the door. "I'll grab what we need from the car."

Dean nodded as he threw his car keys at Sam. Sam caught the keys with ease.

"I'll deal with Mr. Comatose then." Dean stated as he moved to grab the duffel bag that was beside Alaric's body.

Before Sam could leave the room, Bonnie offered her assistance which he accepted. They both left for the Impala; this left Dean with Elena and the Salvatore brothers.

"Got a place where I can freely interrogate someone?" Dean quipped to Damon; he had a feeling that the vampire wouldn't like any of his precious décor being damaged. The hunter could relate in a way, he just had to think of his precious Impala to know why the vampire was protective of his antique looking belongings.

Damon smirked. "The cellars should do."

Dean chuckled as he grabbed the duffel bag before moving it to rest on his shoulders. "Lead the way." He stated before he bent down to grab a hold of Alaric's body.

Seeing what Dean had planned, Damon moved to bent down to intercept his move. "I got him." Damon told the hunter before he lifted Alaric onto his shoulders with ease; being a vampire did have its perks. "Lead the way little brother." Damon called out to Stefan as both he and Dean righted themselves.

Stefan rolled his eyes but he did what he was told; he saw no point in arguing with Damon at the moment. They couldn't waste any more time.

Elena ended up walking alongside Dean while they were sandwiched between the Salvatore brothers; Stefan in the lead with Damon covering the rear with Alaric on his shoulders.

"What do you plan on doing?" Elena managed to ask Dean after they had descended the stairs to the basement cellars.

"We need to restrain Ric for the time being and we have to prepare for Meg's arrival." Dean explained without missing a beat while taking in his surroundings. The area was definitely different in comparison to the main floor yet the basement's state was something Dean was more used to than the lavish furnishings he was surrounded by earlier.

"Will it take long?" Elena curiously asked the hunter yet she was surprised to find herself somewhat shy like she had been on the phone with him the previous day.

Dean smirked as he looked to Elena from the corner of his eyes. "Why? Got somewhere you need to be kiddo?" He quipped just before Stefan stopped them at the first cellar space that seemed to hold the neutralized body of Elijah, Klaus' half-brother.

Dean nodded his head in approval at the burnt Original before Stefan moved them to the next cellar, much to Damon's insistence.

Elena sighed. "It's not that." She confessed yet she didn't elaborate. There were just so many things she wanted to ask yet she felt like it wasn't her place to ask them for some reason.

"Then what?" Dean asked while sensing her hesitance. He waited for her to elaborate while Stefan walked into the second cellar with Damon close behind him.

Elena sighed as she looked between Dean and the Salvatore brothers. The vampire brothers were talking quietly to one another as Alaric was placed on the ground by a wooden chair. "I was hoping to talk to you." She stated a little nervously.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" The hunter quipped again before a playful smile graced his face. He wanted her to feel relaxed enough to ask him anything yet he had to remind himself that he was technically a stranger to his own daughter.

Elena pursed her lips together as her hands landed on her hips.

Dean chuckled at the sight. "Damon, could you and your brother give us a moment?" He said a few seconds later to the vampires in the cellar without taking his attention off of Elena.

Elena fought off a smile as a worried Stefan reached them.

"Elena, I don't…"

"Good luck." Damon cut in before he gripped Stefan's shoulder tightly. He got where his brother's concerns were coming from; he would be reacting the same way if it were any other unknown human that Elena wanted to talk alone with. The difference was that Damon did know this human so he wasn't worried about Elena. "I'll just show Sam the other cellar before we take off." Damon added in quickly before Stefan could say anything.

Dean and Elena both nodded their heads in thanks but Stefan just gave his brother an incredulous look.

"But…"

"No buts brother." Damon interrupted again as he turned to face Stefan, "It's _safer_ for us to leave the house than for Elena to wander the property with rogue vampires in town." He reasoned.

Damon knew that his point had been made when he felt Stefan's shoulders drop under his grip.

Damon gave his brother a hard pat on the shoulder before he turned to look at the humans. "We'll deal with the school since there is no chance of Ric returning to teach this afternoon." He ended up with a hand gesture towards Alaric's unconscious body.

"Thank you." Elena said to Damon with a smile.

The oldest Salvatore nodded before he pushed for Stefan to leave the basement with him; he could hear Sam and Bonnie approaching the front door again.

Dean didn't hesitate to enter the cellar where he instantly took notice of a wooden chair by Alaric's body that laid on the dirt covered concrete floor. In the corner, the hunter also recognized a mini greenhouse going on with a few rows of vervain plants encased inside. Dean couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Damon growing one of the things that could weaken his kind; he'd have to remember to ask Damon if he could take some when it came time for him to leave town.

The hunter placed his duffel bag by the door before he got to work on brushing enough dirt off the concrete floor so that he could paint a decent sized devil's trap in its place. Elena remained at the cellar's threshold as she watched Dean do his work; she didn't want to get in his way.

Dean finally broke the silence between them when he went back to his bag, which was by Elena's feet. "So Ric teaches?" He asked; he figured that would be an easy thing to talk about, as he rummaged to find the spray can and the salt canister.

Elena giggled a bit before she crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame; she wasn't expecting the random question since there were so many others that came to mind. "Yup. He's my AP history teacher and my aunt's boyfriend." She revealed before she decided to add another connection she had to Alaric, one that she sometimes forgot. "He's technically my step-dad too."

Dean snapped his head up to Elena. "What?" He questioned with an incredulous look on his face before he turned his head to look at Alaric.

Elena nodded as her gaze followed Dean's. "Alaric was married to Isobel before she disappeared. Her disappearance is why he became a hunter. We didn't figure the connection out though until Damon revealed that he's the one that turned Isobel after we discovered that she was my biological mother."

"Wow…small world." Dean stated nonchalantly even though he had a hard time processing the whole thing. He knew that Alaric got into hunting to avenge his wife; he just never knew the name of said wife. Damon turning Isobel wasn't a surprise to Dean though since she had told him during her explanation to him when he found her, though she never knew that Dean and Damon knew each other. After a few moments, he returned his attention back to his original task before he continued the conversation. "That's probably not what you wanted to talk about…was it?"

Elena shrugged, even though Dean wasn't looking. "In a way since it's about Isobel."

"Then lay it on me. What seems to be the problem?" He said before he stood up with the spray can in one hand and a canister of salt in the other. He motioned for Elena to enter the cellar before he closed the door; he needed all the space he could get to move around.

Elena didn't hesitate to follow Dean as she also heard movement in the hallway. Even though Damon and Stefan could still hear their conversation, she'd still like to believe that she had her privacy in that room with Dean once the door was closed. Before Dean got to work, he handed the salt canister to Elena with instructions to make an unbroken line of the stuff along the perimeter of the room. Elena gave Dean a quizzical look until he told her that it would create a barrier that would keep impure beings out.

Elena waited as the Salvatore brothers walked pass the door with Sam and Bonnie behind them as they made their way to the third cellar; the one that held Stefan's detox sessions.

Dean heard the movement so he didn't push Elena to talk. He waited but he got to work on the devil's trap.

Moments later, Elena saw the Salvatores walk pass their door before she turned to watch Dean create the intricate markings on the concrete floor. She wanted to ask what it was for but she had a feeling that Dean would see that as her trying to deflect from his previous point of there being a problem with her. After a good amount of time had passed since seeing Damon and Stefan leave, Elena decided it was time to say something along with getting started on her salting task.

"I know you couldn't say much over the phone yesterday but with _her_ letter, it just doesn't make sense to me. A lot of what you said earlier just confused me even more on top of her last words to me." Elena confessed while hoping that Dean just understood what she was referring to. She was just too tired to explain it all to him as Klaus' early message seemed to finally sink in for her. She kind of wished that they were taken to the third cellar so that she could just slump down onto the cot that was set up in that cellar.

"I tend to speak in code at times." Dean stated as he knew what Elena was talking about while he continued to work on the trap. "My life has been a lot more complicated in the last decade due to certain events."

Elena's interest peaked at the end, causing her to stop in her salting. "Can I ask about them?"

Dean chuckled as he stopped for a moment to smirk at her. "You can although I don't think now is the right time to go into them."

Elena's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "Oh." She mumbled before she got back to work.

Dean shook his head out of amusement before he also got back to work. "Let's deal with one issue at a time. What is it about Isobel's words that have you confused?"

Elena exhaled deeply yet she was kind of relieved that Dean wasn't putting his full attention on her at the moment; she might not have gotten her correct question out if he were to look directly at her. "Her insistence that you'd help me even though we'd never met before and yet earlier you said that you've known about me and all this for five years now."

Dean nodded subconsciously while he continued to work. "What else?" He pushed yet when she didn't reply soon afterwards, he stopped and turned to look at her, noticing that she was now biting her lower lip as she moved along the wall. "That couldn't have been the only thing that confused you so spill it."

Elena mulled over the one thing that has stayed with her since Isobel had suggested it to her. It was definitely the last thing she thought last night and the first thing that came to mind when she woke up that morning. So in the end, she took the leap, as she started on the final wall. "She…she said you'd help me because you'd do anything for family."

Dean froze at the mention of family but fortunately for him, to Elena, his stop in motion could be easily construed as him finishing off the devil's trap.

"Yet the only family I have left is Jeremy, Jenna and John." Elena finished with a slight wavering in her voice before she took a few deep breaths; it still got to her when she was reminded that she no longer had her parents, adoptive or not, with her.

Dean exhaled deeply as he ran a hand through his hair. "That's not entirely true." He stated after Elena had completed the salt line around the cellar; he was impressed that she expanded the salt line enough to account for the open door later on. He then straightened himself up while capping the spray can. _This was it,_ he thought to himself. _There is no running from this moment._

Elena blinked a couple times out of confusion. "What?" She said as she watched Dean place the spray can out of the way before he moved the wooden chair to the middle of the painted circle.

"When's your full birth-date Elena?" He questioned as he moved towards her and the duffel bag.

Elena's brow furrowed as she sidestepped out of Dean's way. "How does…"

"Humor me." Dean interjected quickly as he grabbed the salt-soaked ropes. He looped his arm through the bundle before he rested them on his shoulder. He then made his way to Alaric's body.

"June 22, 1996." Elena sputtered out before tossing the salt canister into the duffel bag. She was confused by this point.

The hunter nodded. "What is the date you repeated to me from the letter?" Dean asked next as he lifted Alaric up before he dragged him to the wooden chair.

"September 1995." Elena answered without hesitation. She had committed Isobel's letter to memory before she hid it in her belongs; she just couldn't torch it afterwards. "I still don't get what's so important about that date or what it has to do with my birthday." She exclaimed with a huff as she watched Dean firmly tie Alaric to the chair. Her teacher's arms were individually tied to the chair's sides while his legs were tied to each of the chair's front legs.

"It's the month that I met and dated Isobel when I was in town." Dean confessed while avoiding Elena's eyes. After securing the final knot behind Alaric's back, Dean checked and rechecked to make sure that the knots were so tight that one wrong move would result in them digging into Alaric's skin. He wasn't going to wiggle his way out any time soon.

Her breath hitched at the confirmation that Dean and Isobel were a _thing_ back in the day. All sorts of conclusions were coming to the forefront of her mind and yet she couldn't process them; they just seemed to confuse her further. "And my birthday?" She quietly asked yet deep down she had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

Dean walked to stand behind Alaric before he turned to look at Elena. He immediately took notice of how she looked so much younger in that moment as she tried to rein her emotions in; he knew she was doing it because he did it himself. He could see the buildup of tears forming as well as the conflicted emotions in them and he couldn't help but give his confused daughter a sad smile. "Do the math kiddo yet deep down, I know that you already know the connection between the dates."

And she did know. That was all Elena needed to hear to get her mind to accept what it had speculated moments ago. It was only a potential, yet bizarre, possibility and now…it was her reality.

John Gilbert wasn't her biological father…Dean Winchester was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 9, 2013


	8. One on One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 8 - ONE ON ONE**

* * *

"No…you can't be." Elena exclaimed while taking a few deep breaths before she started to pace. In her eyes, it just wasn't possible. She just couldn't accept the fact that the man standing before her, this _stranger_ , was her father. At least with John, she had grown up with the thought of him being her uncle yet with Dean…she didn't know anything about him. Not really.

Dean sighed. "But I am." He didn't dare say more as he knew that she needed time to process the news. He may not know what she was going through at the moment, but he remembered the time where he found out that he had a half-brother out in the world that his father had kept hidden from him and Sam. He also remembered the time when Isobel actually told him that he had a daughter. Sure each case was different for him but Elena had to be feeling somewhat of the same emotions…right?

"Then why lie?" Elena questioned as she avoided looking at Dean as she paced. While her mind was being bombarded with a ton of new questions and doubts, she could feel the tears building up, blurring her vision just a bit.

"I never lied." Dean stated as he watched Elena's pacing body as he remained behind the chair. At one point he saw Sam through the door's tiny window. With a quick shake of his head, Dean dismissed his brother before he could interrupt a conversation that needed to continue between father and daughter.

Elena spun around and glared at Dean once she heard his words. "You never came either!" She shouted as her tears started to fall. She could handle the fact that John was her father because at least he visited her under the guise of her uncle dropping in for a visit but with Dean, it was worse because he _never_ once came to see her in the five years that he had known. Not once and that was something she couldn't handle; her father not wanting to know her.

Dean flinched; reactions like these were why he hated chick-flick moments. "I had my reasons. Reasons I can't fully explain to you now." He stated calmly; he hated that excuse and yet it was the best he could give her. If they had more time, he would explain everything to her, all the good and all the bad, and yet time wasn't on their side right now.

"Why not?" Elena argued back with a wave of her hand. "Don't I have a right to know why you've stayed away? You threw me away like Isobel did!" More tears were streaming down her face by this point. No matter how many times she wiped them away, more appeared and she hated it. She didn't want to seem weak and yet she couldn't help how she was reacting. It was like everything was catching up to her now and she couldn't stop the tears.

Dean's eyes hardened at the accusation. "I did no such thing!" He shot back at her; his voice was raised and yet he wasn't yelling like Elena had been before. "I found out about you when I was trying to stop the Apocalypse from starting!" He confessed with a growl as he held his anger in since he didn't want to tell her about that part of his life yet. He needed to prepare her for it and yet it seemed like his instincts were telling him otherwise.

She blinked a few times out of shock. "The A…Apocalypse?" Elena sputtered as her anger simmered down; both due to his words and due to the fact that Dean's voice had been more intimidating than before.

Dean sighed as he ran a hand over his tired face. "It's over and done with now; you don't have to worry about that anymore." He placated before he moved around the chair to get to Elena. "The point is that I _wanted_ to find you once I found out but with Isobel's warnings and the Apocalypse starting…certain things were also brought up and it had me doubting the idea of finding you." He confessed and it felt great. It was like a weight had been lifted off of his heart because for five years, he couldn't tell a soul that he had a daughter. For five years he had to wonder how she was doing or what she was doing or if she was having fun while doing whatever it was her heart desired. He had to wonder and he hated that feeling because he _wanted_ to know, more specifically, he wanted to know _her_.

Elena gulped yet she wouldn't meet his eyes; she didn't know what to do with his changed position. "What things?" She mumbled yet she exhaled deeply when Dean kept a few feet between them.

Dean sighed as he thought of the right words to say. "The Petrova bloodline isn't the only special bloodline around Elena." He said after some time. He figured that if she knew about the curse, then she must have known some things about the bloodline that's put her in such a predicament with Klaus. And if that were true, then he'd start his explanation there; about the bloodlines.

Elena's head snapped up, tears forgotten as she gave Dean a perfect view of her furrowed brow. "I don't understand."

"While the Petrova bloodline is meant to produce doppelgangers, the Winchester bloodline produces strong enough humans for angels to possess." Dean explained as he got comfortable against the wall; his back was firmly planted against it while his arms were crossed over his chest. He hesitated to continue at first when he heard slight movement in the hallway but he decided to push forward; what he needed to tell her needed to be done now with no more delays as it affected her too. The hunter exhaled deeply before he continued, "It was during the Apocalypse that Sam and I discovered that we were destined to be the true vessels of two of the most powerful archangels in Heaven. They would rain bloodshed on Earth as they tried to entomb one another during Armageddon."

Elena gulped at the news. "Who?"

He turned his head to look at her. "I was supposed to take in Michael while Sam was supposed to take in Lucifer." He stated as he tried to suppress that time from his mind. When Gabriel had informed them of their fates, Dean didn't want to believe that after everything that he and Sam had been through that it was their destinies to kill one another. He spent his whole life protecting his brother and yet it was fate all along that one of them would be the other's downfall. Dean just couldn't handle it and he resisted Michael so much so that the angels had resurrected the hunter's dead half-brother to take his place as Michael's vessel. Ultimately, the fated confrontation itself was just too surreal for Dean to comprehend at times.

Her eyes widened at the names; they were familiar to her due to her childhood trips to church. "The Devil?"

"The Devil himself." Dean reaffirmed with a nod; he still couldn't believe that he and Sam had gone up against Lucifer himself. Dean let loose a light cough before he continued, "You see for some time we thought that we were the only ones able to withstand Michael and Lucifer yet we were proven wrong when Michael had taken over my father's body in 1978 and my dead paternal half-brother's body during the present."

"What?" She couldn't help but voice her further confusion as she pursed her lips together.

He waved his hand in a dismissive manner, telling her to forget that complicated bit for now, before he continued. "Apparently, _any_ Winchester could be a suitable vessel for either Michael or Lucifer." He sighed after stating that dreary fact before he shifted to face Elena. "That includes you too Elena." He waited for a reaction from her.

Elena, on the other hand, didn't know what to think of the news as she shifted to mimic Dean's stance. It was one thing to be told that she is a rare item needed for a millennia old ritual but to know that she was one of the few humans that angels, let alone archangels, could possess…that was a scary thought.

Seeing that she was calmer than when he first told her the news, he took that as his clue to carry on. "The fact that you were the doppelganger could also make you a more powerful vessel for them to possess and I couldn't have that especially after I learned that I would be a vegetable after Michael was through with using me." He explained without sugarcoating the news. He knew that he would have to go into detail later on about angel possessions and their need for consent, but he'd wait to tell her that. "I wasn't going to have my own daughter be subjected to such a fate." He confessed while not meeting her stare.

Elena turned to look at Dean; it was the first time he's openly called her his daughter. Strangely enough, she found that she liked the title yet she didn't let herself dwell on the little realization. Her previous emotions on the situation weren't immediately erased due to her sudden realization.

Dean remained silent as he stared at their temporary prisoner. He was still reeling over his confession. He knew that their talk wasn't over and yet he didn't know what else to say at the moment. There are so many things he wanted to tell her but with the time constraint they had, it limited a lot of the possibilities.

Elena cleared her throat, grabbing Dean's attention, before she started the conversation again. "But you still didn't come looking for me after the Apocalypse." She whispered in hopes that it wasn't the wrong thing to say. It was a legitimate question for her to ask and yet she wasn't sure if she'd get an answer or not (a part of her even thought that it was an inappropriate thing to say at the moment). Recently, she had gotten used to people deflecting her questions; it usually resulted in her going to great lengths just to get the answers she originally wanted.

Dean stiffened at her tone yet he didn't remove his gaze. "Because my role in the Apocalypse had placed a bigger target on my back. I basically told fate to go screw itself because I didn't want any part in the final archangel battle. Neither side liked that." He ended with a slight chuckle; he always did have a knack of pissing the angels and demons off.

She continued to stare at him, in awe now for his blasé attitude when it came to foiling such an elaborate event. She knew from Katherine that Klaus was extremely malicious in his retaliation against the first doppelganger when she screwed with his plans. With that knowledge, Elena couldn't fathom how Dean could be so nonchalant when it came to his part in thwarting a prophesized moment. She would be downright terrified if she ever did anything near what Dean or Katherine had done.

Elena was brought out of her musings when Dean finally turned his head to face her. "If anyone knew your connection with me, they wouldn't hesitate to _use you_ to get to me…to punish me. They've done it before; they killed Sam's college girlfriend, a girl he planned to propose to, just to get him where they wanted him to be and they tortured a woman I was heavily involved with just to get me to back off of ruining their plans."

As he listed a few more moments when people have been harmed because of him or Sam (Bobby, Ellen, Jo, Lisa and Ben, Jessica and Ash were only just a few examples), she could see the pain flash through his eyes while his face remained blank. It was only then that Elena had an inkling of what sacrifice Dean had truly made throughout his life time. She didn't need to know the details because she could see it in his eyes; she didn't see it before but he was _allowing_ her to see it now. She didn't know what to make of that. She thought she knew what real pain was when her parents died last spring yet when Elena looked into Dean's eyes, she could see that her pain wouldn't come close to the amount of pain that he had experienced.

"I couldn't even tell my own brother that he had a niece out there somewhere because I was worried about that type of news spreading." Dean finished with no idea on the realizations that Elena had made during that moment. "You never know who's listening in." He added while he thought of all the times he had to watch what he said around specific people. He always thought that if he never acknowledged something then no one would be the wiser to it; he wasn't sure if the theory truly worked or not though.

"So you kept your distance to keep me safe?" She stated softly yet it came out more like a question.

Dean nodded. "Yes and I knew you'd have a better life without me, Elena." It pained him to admit that but he knew it was true. His time with Lisa and Ben just reaffirmed to him that his loved ones were better off without him screwing them over. "With me, there is only _one_ life to live and I didn't want that for you. I hated living the way I did when I was growing up and I didn't want to subject you to that." He confessed while thinking not only on his childhood upbringing but on his time spent with Ben and how history was bound to repeat itself if he stayed any longer in that preteen's life.

Things were making a lot more sense for Elena by this point when it came to Dean's motives but that little girl inside of her that just wanted to be accepted and loved didn't seem satisfied with one aspect. "So if it weren't for this sacrifice, you wouldn't be here to tell me all this?"

He avoided her eyes at first because he didn't know what to say; what does one even say when asked a question like that? Instead, the hunter decided to go with the truth. "If I lived long enough to eliminate every major badass in the supernatural world and come out of it in one piece, I then would have openly searched for you because then I'd know that nothing was tailing me to get to you." Dean stated with so much conviction and sincerity that he didn't know how else he could put it. It still amazed him that he's lasted this long as a hunter, especially with all the close calls he's had in the last decade alone. It truly was a miracle that he was still alive and standing before his own daughter at the moment.

A moment of silence passed between them before Elena spoke. "Do you really think you can stop Klaus?" Her nervousness was apparent as she bit her lower lip afterwards.

Dean turned his head towards her once again with his eyebrow raised at her.

Elena gulped. "I mean the doppelganger's fate is to die in this sacrifice." She elaborated while trying not to get her hopes up at the thought of her, and everyone else, surviving Klaus' plan.

Dean took that moment to smirk down at the teenager with a noticeable glint in his eyes; it seemed all angst has left his mind for the moment. "And what did I say about Winchesters and fate?" He reminded her with a chuckle, which only increased when a smile started to form on Elena's face.

There was hope, she just had to believe. And if all else fails, her father would make it happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 13, 2013


	9. Hello Meg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 9 - HELLO MEG**

* * *

Before the conversation between Dean and Elena could progress any further, there was a knock on the cellar door. Both of the humans' attentions shifted to the noise while their backs remained against the wall.

"Are you two done in there?" Damon's voice was heard easily through the door's mini barred window. "Sammy is getting impatient." He quipped with a roll of his eyes.

"Don't call me Sammy!" Sam shouted from the third cellar, which caused Damon and Dean to snicker while Elena tried to hold in her giggles.

Dean moved to open the cellar door while remembering the salt line that Elena had created for him earlier. Once it was wide enough for him to squeeze on through, Dean motioned for Elena to leave first before he followed her. Once they were both cleared, he reached inside to grab his duffel bag before he shut and locked the cellar door behind him.

Damon, on the other hand, remained quiet as he watched the humans vacate the second cellar. When his eyes met Elena's, his brow furrowed when he noticed the smeared tear tracks down her cheek that she had missed. With a quick nod of her head, Elena told Damon that she was fine even though they both knew that she wasn't, not really, but Damon didn't push for her to talk about it. He knew she needed more time, alone preferably, to process what she had been told. He didn't know how much exactly Dean had told Elena but the vampires had only returned to the boarding house when Dean started talking about how Elena was better off without him in her life. While this only confused Stefan, Damon made sure that Stefan kept his distance to allow for Dean to talk things out with Elena. So instead of going to the second cellar once they arrived, they went to the third one, only to find Bonnie seated on the cot while Sam stood by the collapsible table that held a bowl and a bunch of ingredients surrounding it. Damon also recognized the devil's trap that was spray painted onto the cellar floor. None of them said a word after Sam had informed them that Dean needed a bit more time with Elena. It was only a few more moments later that Damon got his cue to interrupt when he heard silence from the second cellar.

Damon was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the cellar door locking. With his mind back to the present, Damon led Dean and Elena to the third cellar.

"Let's get this over with." Dean grumbled as he walked to stand by Sam's side.

Elena made her way to join Stefan and Bonnie on the cot while Damon remained at the door. Stefan instantly wrapped his arms around his girlfriend while Bonnie reached for her best friend's hand; each showing their support in their own way.

"You sure this will work?" Dean questioned as he dumped his duffel bag beside the table where another one was placed.

Sam sighed as he started to mix the appropriate ingredients together for the spell. "It's the same one we used for Crowley. With a few modifications, it should work for Meg."

Dean nodded his head as he moved to remove his switchblade from his pocket and another piece of cloth from the duffel bag. When he was just about to slice his hand to bleed over the bowl, Sam quickly stopped him. Dean looked up to give Sam a quizzical look. "What?"

"We need more power if this is going to work." Sam told his brother with a firm look. He wasn't budging on the issue; he's been thinking about it since he was modifying the spell.

Dean shrugged, not seeing the point to Sam's assessment. "Why? You said we're doing the same thing when we summoned Crowley and last I checked, Crowley was _higher_ up the chain of command than Meg. The same spell should be enough." He pointed out to his brother before he moved the blade back to his hand.

Sam snatched the blade out of Dean's grasp. "Yeah if she weren't in a devil's trap and there is a huge chance that she is if Crowley does have her." He argued as he closed the switchblade. "Remember when Dick had Crowley in a trap?"

Dean scowled at the reminder. Damon, on the other hand, couldn't help but snicker from his spot by the door. Dean turned to glare at Damon, who shot his hands out as if he were to surrender; the smirk on his face was still there though.

Sam sighed, after watching the display between the two older brothers in the room. "We can't afford a delay like that especially when Crowley only answered our spell after Dick had set him free."

Dean groaned; he now knew why Sam was insistent that they'd need more power. "And if Meg is with Crowley, then chances are he's got her locked up nice and tight."

Sam nodded. "Which is why we need more power…" He trailed off as his gaze shifted from his brother to the only witch in the room; Bonnie.

Bonnie stared wide-eyed at the hunters. "Me?"

Sam nodded at Bonnie before he looked to find an incredulous look on Dean's face. "It's worth a shot." Sam said as he watched the battle in Dean's eyes continue; he didn't like involving innocents in their battles.

"Fine." Dean caved with a groan before he motioned for Bonnie to join them by the table.

Bonnie slowly approached the hunters. She took notice of the mixed herbs and items inside the bowl that was surrounded by three candles while placed on top of a few chalk markings on the table. "What could I do?" She asked a little nervously; she may have attained a lot of power due to the dead witches but she was worried about the spell that the hunters wanted to perform since she hadn't come across one where humans could perform it.

Sam calmly told Bonnie to stand between him and Dean and place a hand on each of their shoulders. Then she was supposed to concentrate on allowing her power to flow through Sam as he chanted the spell and through Dean as he let his blood be spilled for the spell.

Bonnie nodded in understanding once Sam was done with the instructions before she moved to stand between the hunters. Sam gave Dean back his switchblade before he grabbed a batch of matches. The hunters got ready and waited for Bonnie to make her move. It was only a few moments later did Sam and Dean feel this flowing power run throughout their bodies, which they took as their signal to start.

Sam began to chant the spell he had memorized while Dean sliced his hand open, allowing his blood to drip over the bowl's contents. Sam then threw a lit match into the bowl once he ran through the spell. The fire got bigger for a moment before it extinguished itself.

"Oh thank the Devil!" A frustrated voice of a female stated as a greeting, causing everyone's attention to be brought to the center of the cellar where a woman now stood in the middle of the devil's trap. Her wavy brown hair was a lot longer now as it reached down to her waist yet parts of it was matted in dry blood. Her complexion was a bit paler while her stature seemed thinner; as if she'd been starved and kept in the dark for months. Her clothes were torn and covered in dry blood in many places yet her slowly-healing wounds were easily seen in those areas. "It's about time you summoned me!" She protested with a glare directed at the Winchesters. She hid her surprise well from them since she was knee-deep in containment spells and charms when she was pulled out because of their summoning.

Dean rolled his eyes as he wrapped a cloth around his cut hand. "Hello to you too, Meg."

Meg's eyes narrowed at Dean. "You are lucky that I'm more relieved than pissed off at you at the moment, Winchester. I mean I help you in your _'take down Dick'_ plan and what do I get? Captivity…for more than a year!" She ranted as she placed her hands onto her hips. If she could, she would be pacing the room but the devil's trap she was in limited her movements.

"Well my year hasn't been pleasant either sweetheart." Dean argued back with a scowl. He was starting to detest this plan more and more by the second.

"Oh I've heard. The damn compound wouldn't stop talking about how the great Dean Winchester had escaped Purgatory. I've got to say, I'm impressed." She ranted with a smirk as she remembered how Dean's return was the talk of the demonic compound she was being held in. At first she didn't believe it since no one ever returned from Purgatory unscathed unless the door was opened but when Crowley returned a couple times, fuming mad because of the Winchesters' interference, she had to believe that Dean was indeed back from monster-heaven.

Meg was so focused on the Winchesters that she didn't notice the disbelieving looks the Salvatores shared with one another while the girls gave each other confused looks at the mention of Purgatory.

"So I can see why you couldn't help me but you…" Meg trailed off as she shifted her attention from Dean to Sam, who she was now pouting at. "After all that we've been through Sam and yet you still did nothing." She prodded; she was purposely remembering the time that she had possessed Sam for a week back in 2007.

Sam gritted his teeth as he refrained from giving Meg a response she wanted.

"He should have done a lot of things but that's not why we summoned you." Dean interjected as he walked closer to Meg. He made sure that he never crossed over the trap's markings.

Meg gave a dramatic sigh. "I figured as much. Either way I'm free from Crowley so what do you want?" She asked before she took notice that there were unfamiliar people in the room with them. A mischievous grin formed on her face after she sensed the three supernatural beings in the room. "Better yet, why not introduce me to your new group of goodie-two-shoes." She goaded Dean, in hopes of having some fun after being tortured for so long by Crowley and his cronies.

"No need, now how much do you know about possessions?" Dean deflected while keeping Meg's attention solely on him. He didn't need her to learn more than she was supposed to on these so called 'goodie-two-shoes'.

Meg pouted. "You are no fun and you need to be more specific."

Dean glared at Meg. "Possessions aside from demons, angels and spirits…are there any?" He questioned through his gritted teeth; she was lucky that he didn't have Ruby's knife on him…that was currently tucked away in his duffel bag.

Meg sighed as she looked around the room. "Well any other human possessions aside from those three require a spell." She stated as she noticed the young couple curled up on the farthest side of the cot from her. She then noticed a strikingly handsome man by the door who was watching her with an amused gaze.

"What kind of spell?" Sam questioned which brought Meg's attention to him, and the teenager standing behind him.

Meg smirked. "A very powerful one."

"Like the 'enslave Death' kind of powerful?" Dean offered as a way to clarify what Meg deemed as powerful or not. Damon gave an impressed yet inquisitive look at the brothers but neither acknowledged it; he knew there was a story there that he was itching to hear.

Meg chuckled; she had heard about the Winchesters failed attempt to bind Death to them to eliminate Castiel while he was still infected with all those monster souls from Purgatory. "Not quite, it's maybe a few levels below it but it does require a powerful witch to perform it, not some human like you two." She finished off with a pointed look between the hunters.

Sam's brow furrowed as he thought of what Meg just revealed. "How does it work? Does it work like the other three?" He asked moments later.

"Kind of. Either two souls swap bodies or one soul invades an inhabited body, resulting in two souls in one body." The demon stated while her hands acted like they were two counterbalances on a scale.

"Any way to reverse it?" Damon questioned before the Winchesters were able to. The vampire didn't like it when he felt left out of a conversation. He always liked to include his input somehow, whether it was productive input or not. Tonight it would be productive since they were talking about his drinking buddy's predicament.

Meg eyed the older vampire up and down before she smirked at him. "It depends on which spell was used." She slowly declared before a funny thought came to mind. She knew she should have thought of it sooner but the last question had cemented the idea for her. "Now who got into the body-hopping habit?" She teased as she looked between the room's occupants.

Every current high school student avoided looking at the demon, while a smirk remained on Damon's face. It was obvious to Meg that none of them would squeal to her while she was trapped inside the devil's trap so she turned her attention to the Winchesters. When all they did was look at each other with blank expressions, Meg huffed out of annoyance.

"Oh c'mon, I'm here to help right? So let me help. I can't do much inside this trap anyways." The demon argued as she gestured towards the markings below her feet. As much as she'd hate it, she'd rather help than feel like another prisoner in a different location.

Dean crossed his arms over his chest as he gave the demon a skeptical look. "And once you're outside that trap, then what?"

"I'll still help." She offered with a closed-lip smile.

Dean scoffed. "Bullshit and you know it."

Meg huffed. "Oh c'mon boys, you know how I work. You help me, I help you." She reminded them with a frown. "As far as I'm concerned, I now _owe_ _you_ for getting me out of Crowley's clutches. You might as well use me while you can."

Damon and the others watched as the Winchester brothers looked to one another, as if they were silently contemplating what they should do in regards to Meg. It was a few minutes of silence before a decision seemed to be made.

"We believe a friend of ours is possessed but it's not by the typical three cases we've come across." Sam explained to Meg while Dean glared at the demon.

Meg smirked. "Now we're talking. Sounds like you're in a pickle."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Dean retorted sarcastically without missing a beat.

"Where's the body?" Meg asked, completely ignoring Dean's response.

When Sam and Dean wouldn't answer, Damon decided to take it upon himself to ask the question that was probably on all their minds; "Why?"

Meg sighed; the interrogation was starting to grate on her nerves now. "If you don't have the original spell, I could always possess your friend and try to push the other soul out… _if_ it's the two-in-one scenario."

Both hunters were wary of the suggestion. "And if it's not?" They asked simultaneously, startling anyone who didn't really know them.

Meg shrugged. "Then you need to find the original spell."

Dean scowled at the demon; he didn't like her answer. They didn't have time to find the original spell.

Bonnie looked around before she decided to say something. "How can you push the intruding soul out?" She firmly asked the demon while inside, she was nervous that she was even talking to such a creature. She pushed her nerves aside though because she wanted to know what the demon could do that could override a reversal spell.

Meg's glance focused on the tiny witch that stood behind the tallest hunter. "My kind is one of the top three possessors. _Nothing_ , aside from a few charms and sigils, could stop a demon from possessing whatever human they want. As long as the intruding soul still has a body to return to, I can easily push them out since I don't."

Dean raised an eyebrow at her words. "What about the girl you're wearing?" He asked while gesturing to the torn up meatsuit that Meg was currently wearing. Without the meatsuit, Meg would be a puff of black smoke and yet without Meg inside that meatsuit, it would be dead by now due to all the torture it had inflicted on it.

Meg gave herself a once over before she shrugged. "She's technically not mine, so I'm still the dominant possessor." She finished smugly.

The hunter rolled his eyes as he tried to forget a demon's habit to wear their hosts to death. "Yeah whatever." Dean mumbled before he straightened up. "This whole thing stays between us…right?"

The demon gave the hunter an incredulous look, as if his question was a ridiculous one. "Who am I going to tell? Crowley's got all his minions looking for me. I'll be lucky if I can lay low for as long as I can." She confessed with an irritated huff. She once was ranked as one of the top-notch demons because of Azazel and Lucifer and now…now she's being hunted down for siding with Lucifer during his short reign back on Earth. Now in order to save her own skin, so to speak, she has to get help from humans. In a way, it was a pathetic turn of events for the demon. "So do we have a deal boys?" Meg questioned the hunters in hopes that she didn't leave them enough silence to over-analyze her motives.

"I _hate_ that saying." Dean sneered; deals were a bad road to travel on.

"We have an _understanding_." Sam clarified in hopes that he'd stop his brother before he ranted on about how he'd never make a deal with a demon again.

Meg grinned. "Exactly, so are you going to let me out now?"

The Winchester brothers looked to one another before Dean pulled out his switchblade prior to crouching down to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 17, 2013


	10. Two in One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

**CHAPTER 10 - TWO IN ONE**

* * *

Elena continued to watch from her position on the cot. She continued to tell Stefan that she was fine every time he asked her while she watched the makeshift interrogation. She truly didn't know how to take it all in but one thing was for sure; Sam and Dean weren't intimidated so easily. She had a feeling that if they could, they would spit in the face of their opponent without fear of being torn to bits. Fearless is what they were when faced against something that theoretically was more powerful than their mere mortal selves. It definitely astounded her.

She continued to watch as Dean crouched down with his switchblade to scratch out a bit of the marking on the floor. She realized earlier that it was the same marking she saw him draw in the other cellar earlier. At least now she knew what the drawing was used for. It was interesting for her to see that a drawing on a floor could render something as dangerous as a demon into a powerless being.

She knew to stay out of it though. Normally Elena would have asked questions but after her talk with Dean, she kept her mouth shut while he and Sam talked with the demon. She didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary problems because she couldn't stay quiet for a short period of time. Instead her mind kept on reeling when it absorbed every new tidbit of information that was revealed during the Winchesters' talk with the demon; it definitely brought more questions and confusion to her mind.

She only made a move when Sam and Dean had cleared the cellar with Meg sandwiched between them. Ultimately Damon led the way back to the second cellar where Alaric's body was waiting for them.

Bonnie slowly approached Elena as the latter got closer to the former's position. The girls linked arms with one another before they headed for the other cellar, with Stefan following behind them.

The trio didn't get far though as Damon stood on guard at the second cellar door; he wouldn't let them through. When they tried again, he growled at them and told them it would be safer for everyone to stay on their side of the reestablished salt line while the Winchesters were inside the cellar with Meg and Alaric. When asked why that was safer, Damon just rolled his eyes.

"You girls aren't protected like they are." The vampire explained as he pointed behind him, "Sam and Dean can't get possessed anymore and they don't want to risk Meg jumping into either of you…" he stated while pointing between the girls, "when she transfers herself into Ric."

"And the salt line?" Stefan questioned his brother with a skeptical look.

"Salt is a purity substance meant to repel evil. Demons and spirits can't cross over it. The salt line has created an invisible barrier around the cellar so that no demon could enter or escape from it." Damon recited the information he had picked up from Dean during their travels together before he turned to look inside the cellar. This encouraged everyone else to do the same.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

"So what are we dealing with?" Dean questioned after Meg circled Alaric's body a few times while trying not to get trapped in the devil's trap herself.

"It's a two-in-one for sure." Meg stated while she resisted her temptation to just poke the unconscious body. She could feel the presences of two souls in the mortal's body and yet, there was a very prominent difference between the two. "It's definitely an old soul inside there." She declared after a few more moments.

"He's not that old." Dean countered as he looked to Alaric.

Meg rolled her eyes before she gave the older hunter a pointed look. "I wasn't talking about _this_ body's soul. I meant the intruder."

Seeing the new scowl on Dean's face, Sam tried to intervene. "Is that going to be a problem?" He asked before Dean could make his curses to the demon more vocal.

Meg shook her head as she continued to pace along the trap's perimeter. "If we were to put one of _your_ souls in there, yeah but since I'm the one going in, it won't be." She stated with ease.

"So what? You're just going to smoke out of her and into him?" Dean questioned while paying no attention to the little audience they've acquired since they've switched cellars.

"Pretty much." Meg concluded with a nod.

Sam and Dean shared skeptical looks to one another; they didn't like the idea of a demon smoking in or out near them as they usually kill them on sight. "What happens to the intruding soul?" Sam questioned a few moments later.

"If you're worried about it jumping into you…don't. It won't and it's not because of those tattoos you boys have either." She assured them as she gestured to the Winchesters' chests, where they each had a tattoo of a flaming pentagram over their hearts; an anti-possession symbol. Ever since they've gotten it, their bodies have been locked boxes to any demon or spirit who tried to hijack their bodies.

"Then why?" The hunters asked simultaneously as they watched Meg continue her trek around the cellar.

Meg smirked as she gave the brothers an amused expression; their synchronization was adorable at times. "If it's not residing in the intended body, it will be forced to return back to its original body. It can't take on a substitute, if you will. It's one of the details for a spell like this." She elaborated before she continued her random walk-around. A detail like that needed to be included otherwise a 'body-hopper' could escape into anyone and wreck havoc.

Dean mulled that over for a moment before an idea came to mind. "Alright, if that's the case, would you be able to get the identity of the body-hopper once you're inside him?"

Meg pursed her lips as she thought about it. "That may be tricky but I'll see what I can do…" She paused just as a smirk started to appear on her lips. "For a price."

Dean scoffed. "Figures. What more do you want?"

"It's simple really, I'm not exactly in the most pristine of conditions." She pointed out while gesturing to her torn and bloody appearance. Demon or not, she still liked the notion of having a hygienic appearance.

Dean rolled his eyes yet he couldn't fault her for the request. "You can wash up after you've smoked in and out of him. Got it?"

Meg smiled at the hunter. "Just what this girl needed to hear." She declared before she moved to stand behind the chair, forcing Dean to move to stand by Sam. Luckily for the people on the other side of the salt line, the Winchesters left enough space between them to allow for them to have a clear view of Alaric's tied up form.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Meg got ready to smoke out. Dean had to resist the urge to pull out Ruby's demon-killing knife because he knew that if it were in his hands, he'd be more tempted to use it which he couldn't afford to do while Meg was in Alaric's body.

The Winchesters didn't flinch as black smoke emerged from the woman's mouth before it became a massive cloud in the cellar. They watched as it circled around the room for a few moments before it dived right for Alaric's face. A gasp was heard outside the cellar door when the unconscious man's eyes immediately snapped open once the smoke entered his body through his nostrils. Once all the black smoke had disappeared into Alaric's body, the man's head slumped forward before it jerked back up again with another gasp. The body fought against the ropes that tied him to the chair while it jerked in its spot, as if it were hosting a battle within him that he couldn't contain. Eyes were squeezed shut as the fight continued inside him before they snapped open, revealing his eyes to be pure black.

Meg had taken control.

The demon in Alaric's body gave an impressive whistle. "Damn, he's a strong one." Meg complimented as she continued to fight the intruding soul inside the body. She could feel Alaric's soul like all the others she's encountered during her possessions and then there was the intruding soul. It was a soul that she has never encountered before, both in quality and in strength. Then again, lower level demons (such as herself) are only able to possess humans and her theoretical gut was telling her that this intruder was no human.

"Meaning?" Dean prodded with a narrowed look as he continued to watch Meg squirm in Alaric's body.

Meg let loose an amused chuckle as she continued to fight with the other soul. "Meaning, who the hell did you piss off enough to want to spy on you two nubs?" She questioned the hunter as she tried to get something from the intruder. When demons possessed a human host, they gain access to all their thoughts and memories yet it seemed like Meg was having trouble accessing those things from the intruder. She presumed it was another indicator that the intruder wasn't human.

The Winchesters ignored Elena's semi-whispered questions to her friends as they thought of Meg's words. It wasn't much though, considering that the Winchesters had a very long list of enemies that they've pissed off over the years. It wouldn't really surprise them since they once had a measly teenager body-swap with Sam just so that he could obtain the demonic reward for Dean's head during their race to stop Lucifer.

"Can you get a name?" Dean firmly questioned as he noticed Alaric's body jerk around more often than before.

Meg growled. "He's fighting me." She declared moments later which was proven true when Alaric's eyes shifted between Meg's demonic eyes to Alaric's normal blue eyes.

"I don't care! Get something useful!" Dean shouted as he got into Meg's face.

The pitch black eyes returned, followed by a scowl on Alaric's lips. They all knew that it was Meg who was scowling but it was weird to see it on Alaric's face.

The demon did as she was asked and she concentrated on the other soul. It fought against her for quite some time but small flashes of images would pass over to her. It wasn't much but it was a start. There were images of bloody massacres with piles of dead bodies that impressed the demon, followed by many more scenes of blood being shed. There were moments where she heard the clashing of swords before she heard howling in the distance. Phrases from a different dialect where heard next, along with some words of betrayal and vengeance as they continued. She listened as best as she could as more moments broke through the intruder's protective barrier. She saw and heard a few moments of the soul's time in Alaric's body before the images would shift. Eventually one name was repeated over and over again in a way that Meg knew was a repetition over time. _Niklaus._

"What did you say?" Dean demanded as he heard the demon mumble something moments before.

Meg tilted her head back so that she was face to face with Dean, "Niklaus."

She watched as rage swarmed the hunter's eyes as a fierce growl reverberated from his throat. "Klaus," He sneered with so much distaste that demonic instincts had Meg wanting to get away from Dean as quick as she could.

The vampires growled at the confirmation before they told the girls what they heard Meg and Dean say.

Elena gasped. "Klaus? He's been inside Alaric this whole time?" She frantically questioned as the paranoia started to sneak up on her. The fear quickly followed when she thought of how close they were to revealing their 'kill Klaus' plan to the hidden Original himself. Dean was right; his actions did save their asses. The doppelganger was brought out of her musing when she noticed that the exchange between Dean and Meg wasn't over yet.

"Is that enough?" Meg questioned through gritted teeth as she felt Klaus' soul putting up more of a fight than before. She was starting to get exhausted. "I can feel him pulling away." She elaborated when Dean didn't say a thing.

"Find out where Klaus' body is." Dean stated instead without missing a beat, causing everyone who heard to look at him with a mixture of stares.

Meg gave Dean an incredulous look. "What?"

"I want that bastard's location, Meg!" The hunter shouted but when she hesitated, something inside of Dean snapped. He was no longer in control of his emotions as his anger started to boil to the surface, his eyes hardened even further in the process. "Get me that location or I'll throw you back in Hell where you belong!" He threatened in a venomous tone that the monsters in Purgatory were very familiar with. He wasn't kidding around anymore; no more Mister Nice Guy. "Let's see if the third time really is the charm when it comes to escaping Hell." He taunted as he reminded the demon that he had no problem in throwing her back into Hell because he knew that Hell was way worse than dying for some. Hell was just an eternity of endless torture.

"When I get out of this body…" Meg sneered, but she never got to finish her own threat.

"You'll do nothing." Dean interrupted as he smirked at the demon."You'd still be Crowley's bitch if we hadn't summoned you. Now give me that damn location." He demanded once again as he pulled out Ruby's knife for good measure. He wouldn't use it while Meg was in Alaric's body…but she didn't know that.

Meg stiffened at the sight of the knife before she ventured deeper into Alaric's body. Her confrontation with Klaus' soul was made visible when Alaric started to jerk around in his seat as his limbs tried to break free from the ropes.

Elena flinched at the sight of Alaric's struggles to a point that she almost crossed the salt line to help him. Luckily for them, Damon and Stefan blocked her path before she could cross the cellar's threshold. Tears started to buildup in her eyes as she continued to watch the scene play out before her.

Meg's struggles increased the more she attacked Klaus' soul yet before she could tell anyone anything, Alaric gasped before a puff of red smoke exited his body. The red smoke circulated the room for a moment before it disappeared.

Not knowing what just happened, everyone turned to face the black-eyed Alaric. "Klaus has left the building," Meg confirmed while continuing to glare at Dean.

"And?" Dean prodded through gritted teeth as his patience was waning thin.

Meg rolled her eyes yet no one would notice since they remained pitch black either way. "He's currently in a box while being transported to this body's address. It's being heavily guarded." She reported after a few deep breaths. She didn't want to tell him, after the threats he's made against her but Meg knew from experience that Dean would follow through with his threats if he felt justified in doing it. Her first exorcism with him instantly came to mind.

"We'll take our chances." Dean declared before he straightened himself up and tucked the knife behind him and in his belt. He made a moved to leave the cellar before Meg's frustrated sigh stopped him, along with her words.

"If you insist on getting yourselves killed…again…then you might as well know." She reluctantly stated as she waited for him to face her before she continued, "You've bought yourself a day or two before he'll reawaken in his body."

Dean turned to give Sam a confused look before they both faced her. "Why?"

Meg sighed again; she hated all the explaining she had to do since she was summoned. It was exhausting. "The spell was done with a time limit in mind. They all usually do." She mumbled the last part to herself before she continued, "Once expired, the soul reawakens in its original body but if the soul is ejected from its target host before then, well the original body is stuck in a slumber, with the soul returned to it, until the time limit is up." She finished, only to be greeted with not only grins from the Winchesters but from the vampires as well since they heard her words more clearly than the girls.

"The perfect window of opportunity." Dean stated with a chuckle as all possible ideas came floating to his mind. One look at Sam was enough for Dean to know that they were thinking along the same lines.

"You're welcome." Meg grumbled to herself before she tried the ropes around her current meatsuit's wrist once again. They were still as tight as they were before. She let loose a defeated sigh.

Sam gave Dean a pointed look before he took a few steps forward while taking out his own switchblade. He crouched down and scraped a bit of the paint off the concrete floor, breaking the devil's trap and allowing Meg to go free.

Not even a minute went by before Meg released a groan when Sam looked up and directed a pointed look her way before he shifted it to the woman on the ground. Meg got the message; he wanted her to return to her original meatsuit.

Alaric's mouth opened wide before the black smoke reemerged in the air. It circled around a few times before it dived for the unconscious woman. Alaric's head slumped to his chest once Meg left his body. Alaric, himself, was still knocked out from Dean's sleeper hold.

The moment all the black smoke disappeared into the woman, she immediately sat up. Her pitch black eyes were on display once they were open before she blinked them back to their acceptable state. She stood with ease before she brushed off any dirt that she could reach on her clothes. It didn't help with her already bloody appearance but it was a start.

She confirmed for the Winchesters that only Alaric's soul was in his body before she made her way for the cellar door. She couldn't go much further due to the salt line. It was only when Dean told Damon to lead her somewhere to get cleaned up was she able to move as the vampire broke through the salt line with his foot. With ease, Meg crossed the threshold before following Damon upstairs; he was leading her to his shower while he grabbed some of Andie's clothes that she had left behind in his room.

While Damon escorted Meg out, Sam and Dean worked to untie Alaric before Stefan took him into the cellar with the cot. They would have to wait until Alaric woke up on his own terms.

Everyone was silent as they cleaned up all the materials that the Winchesters brought with them. The only thing they left in place was the salt lines and the reestablished devil's trap on the ground. Once everything was cleared, they made their way back up to the main floor.

Elena and Bonnie tried to start the conversation up on what their next plan was but neither Winchester would answer. All they would do was stare up at the ceiling before they would look back down at the girls with a crooked eyebrow as if to say what's-your-point. The message was clear though; as long as Meg was still around, they weren't going to say much.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

The moment that a clean and presentable Meg walked downstairs to give her two-cents on the situation before she vanished was the moment that questions started to fly around. The most common one was what they were going to do next.

"While it pains me to say this, I believe there is a dance tonight that you were planning to go to." Dean stated as he brushed a hand through his hair before he moved to grab his jacket. They were all back in the living room again like before.

Elena gave Dean an incredulous look. "What? You can't be serious. Not after everything we learned today." She protested with a wave of her hands. She couldn't go to the dance now when they had a lead on Klaus to follow up on.

Dean turned to face his daughter with a stern look. "Oh I'm serious Elena and from what I heard, _you_ were the one that wanted to have a normal night." He told her before he shook his head. "You can't have it both ways."

"But…"

"No buts." He interrupted her before she could argue. "Go get ready, have fun and don't worry about this." He told her while putting his jacket on. He never thought he'd dismiss her like he did just now but they needed to go and she couldn't come along.

Elena huffed as her hands landed on her hips. "You can't expect me to go to the dance and just forget about all this."

Dean exhaled deeply as he tried to keep his temper under control; Damon was right, she was stubborn. And it was because of her stubbornness that he decided on a move he knew she wouldn't like. "Elena it's either you go willingly to the dance, or I ask Damon to compel you to go and have fun." He suggested without giving Damon a second glance.

Bonnie and Stefan gave Dean wide-eyed looks for even suggesting compulsion while Damon was smirking like crazy. The older vampire did always find Dean's approaches to be amusing. Sam, on the other hand, was curious as to see what point his brother was trying to make since he'd rarely use a monster's power to his advantage if he could.

Elena gasped at the thought before she held her head high once again. "He can't compel me." She said with so much conviction as she remembered her necklace that Stefan had given to her with vervain in it. As long as she wore it, she was safe from compulsion.

Dean scoffed. "Why? Because of that necklace you're wearing?" He stated while pointing to the very necklace around her neck. Damon had informed him of the level of protection Elena had against vampires; it wasn't much but it was better than nothing.

Elena's hand immediately went to touch the necklace while everyone's attention shifted to it for the moment.

"Do you know how easily it is for a vampire to _rip_ that off your neck and have you under their control?" Dean continued before he waited for the realization to don on his daughter; the hunter didn't know how that scenario had already happened to his daughter when she first encountered Elijah. He then gave a quick look to Damon before the vampire grinned.

Before anyone could process what happened, Damon had blurred across the room and back. The slight breeze in the room was the only indicator of any movement. Aside from Dean and Damon, everyone's heads started to shift for the source of the unexpected wind but Damon cleared his throat, bringing all their attention back to him and Dean. With a grin plastered on his face, Damon held up Elena's necklace in his hands; the very necklace that was around her neck moments before.

"Very easily." Dean said as he watched Elena frantically touch the spot where her necklace should have been. She had a look of fear in her eyes now and while Dean hated to see his daughter with that look, he _needed_ her to feel it, to be aware of just how human, how vulnerable, she was.

Damon chuckled before he returned the necklace back to Elena. "Dean's got a point." He whispered to her after he clasped the necklace around her neck. He then returned to Dean's side.

"Then what are you going to do?" Elena asked a little deflated with the reminder of her vulnerable humanity. It looked like she was going to the dance after all.

Dean smirked. "My job and that's all you need to worry about."

Before Elena could ask more questions, Sam cut in. "Go be a teenager Elena. Have fun with Stefan and Bonnie and whoever else you were going to go to the dance with. At the very least, you'd have a vampire and a witch watching your back if you have any problems." He placated since he knew first-hand how experiencing a normal teenage moment in the midst of a crazy life is all a person needs to find their balance once again.

"Which you shouldn't." Dean firmly stated before he gave Sam a pointed look.

Sam chuckled. "Which you shouldn't." He repeated which got Dean to give a nod of approval.

Stefan and Bonnie didn't argue with the Winchesters' reasons since they've been trying to get Elena to relax a bit and take a step back before the stress of Klaus really did a number on her.

"What about Damon?" Stefan questioned moments later after remembering that Damon had wanted to be a chaperone at the dance after hearing that Klaus was going to make his appearance there. Now that they knew that Klaus would be stuck in a slumber for a few more days, did that mean that he wasn't attending the dance as planned?

Damon blurred to his brother's side before he gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. "Oh I'm going with the Winchesters, little brother." He stated with a grin before he continued. "Besides I've lived through the sixties once already, I don't need to again." He stated with a chuckle before he blurred to his room and back, only to have his leather jacket on. He was ready to go.

Stefan nodded; he had mixed feelings about Damon's absence at the dance. On the one hand, it meant that Damon couldn't interfere between him and Elena yet on the other hand, it meant that Damon would be getting into more trouble with two hunters as his only backup instead of him, his vampire brother.

With that being said, Damon and the Winchesters left to pursue the clue that Meg had given them while Stefan and the girls prepared for the school's decade dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 20, 2013


	11. Following A Lead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x19 – "Klaus"].

****

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  **CHAPTER 11 - FOLLOWING A LEAD**

* * *

"I can't believe how much of a packrat the Salvatores were." Elena exclaimed as she rummaged through the boxes that Stefan had retrieved for them before he went to check on Alaric. Elena couldn't believe how much sixties outfits were in each box.

"You're deflecting." Bonnie stated from her spot in Stefan's room. She was rummaging through her own box as she helped Elena look for an outfit. They had already decided on Bonnie's outfit for the dance during their search.

Elena sighed. "Can you really blame me?" She asked as she looked up to see her best friend staring back at her now.

"No but I'm here to listen, Elena." Bonnie reminded her as she closed the box up.

Elena nodded, "I know that."

"Then how are you really doing?" Bonnie softly asked as she made her way towards Elena. Once it was just the two of them in Stefan's room, Elena had confessed to Bonnie about her connection to Dean after Bonnie had ensured her that their privacy wouldn't be interrupted. She didn't want to undo all the trouble Dean and Isobel had caused in hiding her true paternity.

Elena shrugged before she turned and allowed herself to lean against the table she was closest to. "I don't know. I mean I just told John last night that I was willing to have him in my life after everything and yet now…now I find out that he's not even my father." She still didn't know what to think about Dean being her biological father.

"Does he know?" Bonnie questioned after a few moments. She couldn't believe the news but she kept her thoughts to herself and continued to show her support to her best friend.

"I don't think he does." Elena stated as she moved her hand to grip the back of her neck. "Before today, only Isobel and Dean knew the truth. They went through a lot of trouble to keep it that way."

Bonnie gave an understanding nod, "I would assume to keep you safe."

Elena exhaled deeply at the thought before she resumed her outfit search.

"What else did he say?" Bonnie asked as she joined Elena's search once again.

Elena pursed her lips as she decided on how much to tell Bonnie. "Not much except it did leave me with a lot more questions to ask him," She confessed as this one purple outfit caught her eye.

"I'm sure you'll get your answers to them eventually." Bonnie reassured her best friend as she pulled out this orange and white outfit from the box. "For now, let's just have fun at the dance." She declared before she showed Elena the dress she just pulled out.

In the end, Elena chose the purple hippie dress to wear to the dance.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

"Why exactly are we at Ric's place?" Damon questioned the Winchesters as they entered Alaric's apartment building. Since Alaric was currently unconscious, Damon had to lead the brothers to the home of Klaus' former host. It was safe to assume that while assuming the teacher's identity that Klaus was also using Alaric's possessions as well.

Dean rolled his eyes as he ventured up the steps behind Damon. "Klaus must have left something inside on where his body was coming from. We're here to find it." He reminded the vampire with Sam right behind him, who's remained quiet during their journey since he was still wary of their vampire companion.

Damon shrugged. "If you say so but I won't be much help to you." He confessed and when he heard no movements following him, he turned around and saw quizzical looks on both their faces. "Since I haven't been invited in yet." He elaborated until he saw realization dawn on Dean's face while Sam had a perplexing expression on his face.

"That part of the lore applies to you guys?" Sam questioned since the vampires he was used to don't have invitation limitations.

"Unfortunately yes. It's annoying." Damon whined before he continued his trek upstairs.

The brothers took his lead once again, only then did Dean tell Damon that his enhanced hearing would be more helpful in this situation because like he said, he couldn't help them search the apartment.

Damon shrugged before he concentrated on Alaric's apartment. He heard a sound system playing a good rhythm but it wasn't loud enough to hide the movement inside the apartment. He predicted only one occupant yet he couldn't be sure because of the additional sound.

He was in the middle of relaying his findings to the brothers when a figure that stood in front of Alaric's door caught his attention.

It was Meg.

"Well I could have told you that." Meg declared with a roll of her eyes; it was her response to Damon's minimal findings. "She was rummaging through the cupboards before she heard you on the stairs." The demon elaborated while Sam and Dean were firmly on the same floor as her and Damon instead of on the stairs. "It's about time you guys showed up." She commented while leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked while keeping the surprise out of his tone.

Meg shrugged as she inspected her nails. "I thought you might need a few reinforcements."

Dean scowled at the demon; he thought they saw the last of her back at the boarding house. "And here I thought you'd be across the world already."

"Oh I was but then I got bored so I came back here." She stated before she turned her attention to them. "You should be grateful."

"Oh I feel something alright." Dean mumbled to himself in irritation, which caused the vampire to chuckle as a response; he found the banter entertaining.

Without further ado, Damon broke the lock on the door before Dean managed to push it open since the lack of invitation prevented Damon from doing so himself.

Before the door could hit the wall, the woman with curly brown hair spun herself around to face her visits. "Thank god." She exclaimed as her attention focused on Damon first.

"Whoa." Sam couldn't help but say as he stared wide-eyed at the woman. He knew she existed and yet he still couldn't believe it.

Dean, on the other hand, looked the woman from head to toe before he settled on her face once again; a face that his daughter also had. "Hello Katherine."

Katherine turned to the man who greeted her. She gave him an appreciative once over before she gave him a flirtatious grin. "Hello handsome."

Dean didn't react to Katherine's flirtations but Sam frowned. "Now that's just weird," Sam commented since if he didn't know any better (nevermind that he did), it would look like his niece was coming onto her own father. That's just too crazy for Sam's standards.

"Huh, doppelgangers…Crowley would get a kick out of them." Meg commented as she noticed the striking similarities between this woman and the one back at the boarding house. She knew they weren't the same person, not only by the name but by the aura she could feel. The woman before her was definitely a vampire while the other was a human.

Dean glared at Meg when she mentioned the King of Hell. "Crowley is not going to know about any doppelganger sightings, do I make myself clear?"

Meg gave the hunter an innocent grin yet the glint in her eye told him that she was irritated. "Crystal. It's not like I want to deliver the news myself."

Sam sighed as he moved to pass Dean and Meg. "We better get a move on." He said as he crossed the apartment's threshold.

Dean and Meg followed Sam's example as they each entered the apartment, leaving Damon by the door.

"Sure, you three go on and snoop while I'm stuck out here." Damon complained as the three ventured further into the apartment before he returned his attention to his sire. "I thought you might be dead." He deadpanned, showing no emotion on whether he cared for her well-being or not.

Katherine shrugged. "Unfortunately not." She stated as she walked closer to the door. While Damon couldn't enter, Katherine wasn't able to leave.

"That could be rectified if you want." Dean stated offhandedly as he searched the contents on the dining table. Sam was currently searching the contents on the desk (mainly the laptop he found) while Meg was just walking around the place.

"Aww, how cute." Katherine sneered as she turned to face Dean. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure."

"Well keep dreaming sweetheart; we didn't come here for you." Dean shot back without hesitation while he focused on the pages in front of him.

Damon snickered from his spot while Katherine huffed. "And yet I'm the only one here." She stated with a dramatic pout yet neither Winchester took their eyes off their individual tasks.

"True but you weren't the only one in this apartment." Meg countered as she circled one empty portion of the apartment. She found herself drawn to it earlier and with a closer look, she found that a power essence had been left in its place, signifying that powerful magic had been done in that very spot recently.

Sam looked up from the laptop before his eyes scanned the room for Meg's location. "What do you mean?" He asked the moment she was in his sights.

"A witch has been here; a powerful one." She explained while gesturing to the area around her. "I bet he's the one that performed the spell."

Katherine's eyes widened at the woman for her accurate deduction before she turned to give Damon a questioning look. All he did was smirk and shrug his shoulders at his former lover.

"Can you still sense him? Maybe he could lead us to the body." Sam eagerly questioned since he found that more useful than the stuff he found on the laptop, which wasn't useful for them at all.

Meg shrugged. "It's faint but I would recognize its signature if I came across it again." She stated with a smirk, which Sam returned. They were making progress.

"Well hooray for you." Dean mocked from his spot on the couch with a few sheets in his hands.

Sam and Meg both glared at Dean for his response. They thought he'd be thrilled with any type of information.

Noticing the awkward silence, Dean looked up and noticed the glares at him. "What?" He questioned before he waved the pages in his hands. "I've got something." He declared before he got up and made his way towards Sam.

The younger Winchester rolled his eyes before he snatched the pages from his brother. He didn't hesitate in skimming the sheets over.

"Care to share with those that don't have the pages in front of them?" Damon questioned a few moments of silence later from his leaning position by the door.

Dean smirked as he thought of the printout he had found. It had a few unusual codes on the page but it was definitely a confirmation page one would get when tracking a package. "I found a cargo tracker account and guess what? One of the items is massive."

A wolfish grin started to appear on Damon's face. "How big we talking?"

"Big enough to hold a full grown man." Dean said with a grin that matched Damon's. They knew they found the piece they were looking for.

"Where's the drop off?" Meg questioned as she ventured towards the brothers.

Sam scanned the sheet once again before he looked at his watch. "According to this, it has already arrived. It just needs to get here." He declared before he moved towards the kitchen. He then settled the page on the clear counter before he took his phone out to snap a photo of the details they needed from it. If they could take the sheet with them they would but they didn't know if it would be a recognizable thing that's missing…so a photo would have to do. Once that was done, Sam returned the sheet to Dean so that he could return it to where he had originally found it.

"So what now?" Damon questioned from the door, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "We just wait until it shows up? We have no idea who's coming with his body and you still haven't told me how you plan to kill him." He finished with a pointed look at the brothers.

Katherine gawked at the news before she turned to face the brothers. "Wait, you have a way to kill Klaus?"

Dean cocked an eyebrow at his daughter's ancestor. "Why else would we be here?" He fired back without a hint of fear.

Katherine glared at Dean for his attitude before she turned back around to face Damon. "You're telling me that three _humans_ have a way to kill Klaus while I've come up empty during the five hundred plus years I've been running from him?" She protested while gesturing wildly to the three _humans_ behind her.

Damon shrugged while he found her frustration highly entertaining.

"Well you didn't do such a swell job if he's compelled you to stay here, cupcake." Meg taunted from her spot by the kitchen counter that Sam was at moments before. Damon had mentioned earlier that the only way Katherine would be alive and near Klaus' presence was if it were against her will.

Katherine growled at the woman; she couldn't believe that a human would speak to her in such a manner. "Why you little…" Katherine started to say before she lunged for Meg.

Meg smirked at Katherine's reaction and when the vampire was almost close enough to grab Meg, the demon telekinetically threw the vampire into pillar that was just behind the dining table and past the door. All the walls were covered in something and she didn't want to create a ruckus or cause a mess when their presence there needed to be undetected. Normally she wouldn't care whether the Winchesters were detected or not but if she wanted to survive Crowley, she needed the brothers' help to take the King of Hell down permanently...so if she had to help them out once in a while, so be it.

Katherine's eyes were squeezed shut when her back hit the pillar the way it did. She couldn't help but groan out of pain because of it. She may be a vampire but an impact like that still hurt her body. When she finally opened her eyes, the woman was only a few feet away from her with a smirk on her face.

"Just for the record _cupcake_ , I'm not some human." Meg clarified with a sneer as if the very accusation insulted her.

Katherine growled as the next option flashed through her mind, "Witch."

"Nope." Meg said with a laugh before she blinked to reveal her pitch black eyes to the restrained vampire.

Katherine gasped at the sight before her as well as the realization that she was in the presence of a demon. She knew from stories that demons were nasty creatures that shouldn't be crossed. She even heard stories about how the Original family stood clear of Lucifer's creations.

"I'm more powerful," Meg declared before she raised her hand and clenched her hand into a real tight fist.

All of a sudden, Katherine felt like her lungs were caving in on her and that she couldn't breathe. Against her better judgment, she started to hyperventilate which only made it worse as her body started to feel like it was drying up from the inside out, like any second her veins would start to rub together like sandpaper.

The Winchesters watched as best they could without being affected but they were each cringing on the inside (since it looked like Elena was in pain and not Katherine) as Meg continued to torture Katherine while Damon huffed at the door. He could hear Katherine's pleas and yet he couldn't see the demon's handiwork.

"Now you're just teasing. I can only _hear_ you torture her from here." Damon whined to Meg from his spot by the door. When he was showing Meg to his bathroom earlier so that she could wash up, he somehow confessed to the demon how he wanted to make his creator suffer for all that she's put him through since they've met. The demon couldn't help but agree to the vampire's desire.

Meg turned to look at the younger vampire only to see him give her a mock pout. She smirked at him before she released her powers on Katherine. "My apologies Damon." The demon said just as a loud thump was heard on the floor, followed by shallow gasps of air.

The clearing of a throat was heard shortly after Katherine's release, resulting in Meg turning around to see both brothers with speculative expressions directed at her.

The demon tried to pass off an innocent smile to the hunters but they weren't buying it. "What? It's been a year since I've inflicted some ounce of pain on someone. At least this way you know she'll heal herself." She defended with a shrug as if what she had done was harmless compared to the damage should could have inflicted on the population.

Dean scoffed while Sam rolled his eyes. "You're restraint has been noted," Dean stated sarcastically before his eyes started to wander the room once again.

Meg huffed before she moved towards the hunters. "Quick wit aside, I'd say that tonight would be the best time for you to attack." She suggested without giving much away.

"We better get a move on then." Dean stated with a smirk as he made his way towards the door. "We've got work to do." He commented as Sam and Meg followed him out of Alaric's apartment.

Katherine gawked at the human's abrupt departure. "That's it? You're leaving me here?" She protested as she followed them out, only to be stopped by the invisible barrier that prevented her from leaving.

Damon chuckled. "It's not like we can break the compulsion on you. Besides, just keep our visit to yourself and you'll be out of here before you know it." He teased before he pushed himself off the wall he was previously leaning on. He then turned to join the others in their trek down the stairs as they seemed to have been waiting for him.

"But…" Katherine was ready to bargain with them to get her out of that apartment but the brothers didn't waver in their steps. The vampire and the demon, on the other hand, did stop in their tracks.

Damon turned to smirk one more time at his sire. "Goodbye Katherine." He immediately turned to walk downstairs, signaling to Meg to do her thing as he passed her.

Do her thing she did; the demon winked at the trapped vampire before she used her powers to slam, repair and lock the door. She then followed the men downstairs and out the apartment building. Damon and Meg found the brothers waiting for them by the Impala.

"Are you sure you don't want me to kill her?" Dean asked Damon with his hands resting on the hood of the car as he stood by the driver's door.

Damon sighed. "Death would be too kind for her." He reasoned before they all got into the car.

"What about the tomb?" Dean suggested moments later as he drove them into the main part of town. "You said you had her in there before."

"Only because we knocked her out before we threw her in. Besides, the seal is gone." Damon stated with irritation. If it weren't for Stefan's stupidity, Katherine would still be in the tomb whether they daggered Elijah or not.

"So, have it put up again." Dean proposed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Damon scowled from behind Dean. He didn't want to admit it put reusing the plan was brilliant…he just never suspected Katherine to still be alive or accessible once Klaus had her.

"What?" Dean questioned the vampire as he noticed his expression in the rearview mirror. "You can't seriously like the idea of Katherine roaming free while Elena's alive, do you? Because that is what's going to happen after Klaus is dead." He argued while trying to turn his head around to face Damon but Sam kept insisting that he watched the road since he was driving.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Of course not. Katherine has been causing Elena enough trouble since she came back to town." He was very tempted to cross his arms over his chest and pout since he was being bested in the conversation but he refrained from it; he didn't want to come off as childish when he didn't get his way.

Dean smirked as he pulled into the Mystic Grill's parking lot. "Exactly so it's either we kill the vampire bitch or we entomb her." He stated as he parked the car and turned the engine off before he turned around in his seat to face the vampire. "Which is it going to be Damon?"

Damon scowled once again as he pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call Judgy." He hated that he was tasked to talk to the witch yet it was logical since the other three didn't know her.

Dean smirked for Damon's current misfortune. "Good and while you're doing that, I'm going to grab a burger. Sammy, you coming?" He declared before he got out of the car. Everyone else followed his lead.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Meg questioned with a pointed look once she exited the vehicle.

Dean thought her question over for a moment. "I don't know. Do demons even eat?" He questioned innocently yet Sam knew that his brother didn't care for the answer. He also knew that demons could consume food if they wanted; Ruby's constant need for French fries with ketchup came to mind for him.

Meg gave the hunter a thin-lipped smile. "When we want to."

Dean gave a dramatic sigh as he made his way towards the Grill's entrance. "If you must," He called back to the demon while his brother kept up to step with him.

Meg rolled her eyes before she followed the brothers inside while Damon snickered as his reaction to the previous banter as he waited for Bonnie to pick up his call. He'd join the trio once he was done with the witch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 24, 2013


	12. What's The Plan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 12 - WHAT'S THE PLAN?**

* * *

Bonnie didn't immediately do as Damon asked of her until Jeremy had picked her up at the boarding house for the dance.

After the girls found their outfits for the decade dance, they took their time and enjoyed getting ready together. Stefan gave them their much needed girl time while he checked on Alaric; he'd get his time with Elena at the dance. While Elena was using Stefan's bathroom to change, Bonnie had gotten the call from Damon. They kept it short but once it ended, Bonnie then texted Jeremy about picking her up at the boarding house earlier than expected since she needed to run an errand before the dance. He agreed.

When Elena reappeared, Bonnie made the excuse of needing to grab something at home before the dance so they hurried to finish getting her ready. Despite the rush, both girls looked spectacular by the time the doorbell rang. Stefan managed to answer the door on his way up only to have Bonnie rush out of it moments later. Elena laughed at her friend's eagerness; she would have left with them but Stefan still had to change.

Even now as they trekked through the woods to the tomb, Jeremy was still wary of Bonnie's need to visit the decrepit place, especially before the dance. He'd much rather be at the dance he didn't want to go to than at the tomb, especially when the darkness was slowly consuming the sky.

"Why did you need to go to the tomb _before_ the dance?" Jeremy questioned while Bonnie led him through the woods, their hands intertwined. "Can't you do this later…like tomorrow?"

Bonnie shook her head yet her eyes remained on the ground as she watched her step. "Damon needs it done before nightfall."

"Needs what done exactly?" He asked a little worriedly. Ever since he found out that Bonnie's powers could very well kill her, he's been wary about her using them. He just couldn't lose her too…he's lost too many people already.

"I need to reseal the tomb. He plans on using it tonight." She explained as they approached the remains of Fell's Church. Bonnie didn't hesitate in her trek to the stairs that led to the tomb but when she stumbled for a moment, Jeremy quickly moved to support her balance. She gave him a grateful smile as they made their way down the stairs.

"Who does he want to throw in the tomb?" Jeremy asked once both their feet were firmly on the ground again. He was a little less on edge since sealing the tomb didn't take as much power as unsealing it.

Bonnie used her powers to light the torches around the entrance before she approached the tomb's door. "He didn't say but he made it _very_ clear that the tomb needed to be sealed again." She stated while staring at the door. She could sense no magic or any other presence in or around the tomb. They were alone down there.

Jeremy gave his girlfriend an incredulous look. "And that's it? You didn't ask for any more information?" He was sure that if anyone asked her to do magic, especially Damon, that she would ask questions about everything involved with what she needed to do. He was surprised that she hadn't.

Bonnie sighed as she turned to face Jeremy; she understood why he was surprised. "I couldn't with Elena in the other room, Jer. Besides, Damon said he'd call me after he was done with whatever so that I could double check to make sure the seal was set." She elaborated before she turned her back on him, signifying that the conversation was over for the moment.

Jeremy remained silent as he watched Bonnie start chanting in that witchy language he knew nothing about. He was still amazed that she could remember such long chants, let alone in another language. It truly was impressive stuff.

After a bit more chanting, the torch flames suddenly grew in size before they diminished, leaving a light glow in the cavern.

"It's done." She declared before she turned to smile at him.

He exhaled deeply as he ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I can't believe I'm saying this but can we go to the dance now?" He asked before he offered his hand out to her.

The witch giggled at her date's nervousness before she took his hand. "Of course." She assured him before they headed for the stairs once again. By the time they reached the top, the flames below were extinguished. Now all they had to do was enjoy themselves at the dance.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

When it was Elena's turn to check on Alaric as Stefan changed for the dance, she found him awake. She didn't hesitate in hugging him, expressing to him how worried she was for him while asking how he was. Alaric was touched by Elena's kind nature but he quickly diverted her need to comfort him to a topic that was more useful to him; filling in the gaps of the last day to him. He found this necessary since the last thing he remembered was saying goodbye to Isobel.

Elena filled in as much detail as she could for Alaric when it came to what happened to him. She then went into Isobel leading her to Dean before going into the arrival of the Winchesters and the summoning of Meg. She then dropped the revealing bomb that Klaus had taken temporary control over Alaric's body for the last day. Elena did leave out the part that Dean was her biological father though.

Alaric was stunned on so many levels. Not only was he surprised to hear that the Winchesters were in town but he was furious to be used as a puppet by the very Original they wanted to kill.

It wasn't long before Stefan came down to collect Elena since they had to leave for the dance. With mentions of the dance, Alaric started to freak out about his obligations for the school function until Stefan told him that Damon got him excused from it. With a sigh of relief, the history teacher/vampire hunter slumped down onto the cot. He wasn't really up to chaperoning a dance.

Before the conversation could continue, the humans' cell phones started to beep as text messages were being received. Alaric didn't immediately check his but Elena had gotten one from Caroline asking where she was. This text prompted the couple's departure, much to Alaric's relief.

Once the front door was shut, Alaric headed upstairs as he pulled out his phone to read the text.

> _**Meet at the Grill ASAP. Avoid your apartment.  
>  ~Damon** _

Without hesitation, Alaric left for the Grill. He knew where he was needed and it wasn't at some school dance.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

"Where is he?" Dean grumbled as he finished off his apple pie dessert. The group had spent a majority of the afternoon at the Grill, where they had a slow lunch while they discussed the plan for the night. Dean and Damon managed to order burgers and fries while Sam ordered a salad and sandwich combo. The brothers settled for sodas while the vampire had his usual bourbon, much to Dean's protest (he wanted a beer too). Meg just went with a strawberry milkshake to keep up appearances.

Damon rolled his eyes as he pocketed his phone after checking it again. "He'll be here. He may not even be awake for all we know." He reminded the hunter before he took a sip of his bourbon.

"I didn't knock him out that hard. It's been a couple of hours." Dean stated before swallowing his last forkful of pie. He couldn't help but pout at the thought of his pie being gone, it was _really_ good.

Sam shook his head for his brother's behavior, "Just be patient Dean."

"I can't." Dean protested as he waved at their waitress to grab him another piece of pie. Once he was satisfied that his order was being taken care of, he continued the conversation. "In order for our plan to work, we _need_ Ric to be a part of it."

"I'm still surprised that you want me to repossess him again." Meg commented before she slurped up more of her milkshake. It was her second one of the night.

Dean glared to Meg. "Could you keep it down? Someone might hear you." He told her while looking around in a paranoid manner.

Damon rolled his eyes. The Grill wasn't as busy as usual because of the school dance and even if it was, he picked a booth in the farthest corner of the place that was underneath one of the speakers, concealing their voices to any eavesdroppers nearby. Unfortunately that prevented Damon from hearing anyone outside of their group as clearly as he would have without the speaker's influence.

"No one is listening," Sam reassured his brother before he took a sip of his soda. "And while the option isn't our favorite, it would give us an advantage." He continued from the demon's comment as he faced the woman seated in front of him. "When Klaus' men see Alaric, they would just assume that it's Klaus that's still inside him while really, it's you that's in control."

Dean nodded along with his brother's reasoning but he waited to add his input when he noticed their waitress approaching with his pie. He thanked her with a smile before he dived right in. He moaned out of surprise when he tasted the cherry filling inside.

Damon gave the hungry hunter an amused look.

After seeing this, Dean swallowed and drank his soda before he spoke. "Yeah, and with your powers, you could wipe out anything supernatural before they could blink. Ric would be too vulnerable on his own." He said with a bit of a smug tone as he prepared himself another forkful of cherry pie. Usually he wouldn't like demons and their powers since they were used against him but now, he was all for them in this situation. Of course if Castiel was with them, they wouldn't need Meg. With the thought of Castiel, Dean shook his head to rid his mind of his fallen friend. It still hurt to think of him.

"It's like what the Greeks did during the Trojan War," Sam commented but that only brought all their attention onto him with a mixture of expressions directed at him. "With the Trojan horse." He elaborated, thinking that they didn't get the historical reference he had made.

Damon chuckled before he took a sip of his bourbon.

Meg shook her head. "I get it," She stated before she drank a bit more of her milkshake.

While the supernatural beings were amused by the historical fact, Dean looked at his brother as if he couldn't believe that he just said what he did. "You just had to add some tidbit of history in, didn't you?"

Sam gave his brother a sheepish grin as well as a shoulder shrug. It wasn't Sam's fault that he loved to learn and that his mind carried facts that weren't involved with the supernatural world.

Dean shook his head in a disappointed manner. "Nerd," He teased his brother before he consumed another piece of his pie.

Before Sam could defend himself, Alaric appeared from behind the brothers. "Who's a nerd?" He asked after only hearing the last part of the conversation. Sam and Dean turned in their seats to face Alaric. Damon and Meg, on the other hand, just nodded at Alaric as their hello before they consumed their drinks. He didn't need an introduction to the demon that had possessed him only hours ago (Elena's summarized version also helped).

"Do you really have to ask?" Dean countered with a smirk after he swallowed. Sam just rolled his eyes but he was glad to see their friend up and around again.

Alaric chuckled. "Not really. So what did I miss?" He asked as he pulled up an empty chair to the booth. "I had to wait until Stefan and Elena left for the dance before I could leave." He explained before he noticed the waitress heading towards them again. Alaric quickly shook his head, informing her that he didn't need anything. She took the hint and got back to her original task.

"Good to know, at least she'll be surrounded by students tonight," Dean stated as he took another bite of his dessert.

Alaric's brow furrowed as he looked between everyone in the group. "What's happening tonight?" He asked since neither Stefan nor Elena told him that there was a plan. They only told him what had happened since he was unconscious and that Damon and the Winchesters were looking into something Meg had told them while she was possessing Alaric.

"We're killing Klaus that's what," Damon declared with a smirk before he directed a pointed look at the brothers. "Although I'm still waiting on the how."

Sam didn't say a thing but he turned to Dean, giving him full reign on that topic since he didn't really have any idea what could work against Klaus.

"Well we have the Colt," Dean started off after taking Sam's hint to start.

"We have a few angel blades," Sam suggested with a shrug. He figured since they were the only weapon to kill an angel then it should be able to kill anything beneath it with ease.

Dean nodded. "And my purgatory blade," He added before eating the last piece of his pie.

"You're what?" Alaric asked because he was unfamiliar with the weapon name. He heard rumors about the Colt and the angel blades were pretty self-explanatory but what the hell was a purgatory blade?

"Exactly," Damon triumphantly stated (since he wasn't the only one confused on the name) before he consumed the rest of his drink.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Not the point. The point is that we have it."

"There is also the basic ways to kill a vampire that we could try." Sam suggested next before he finished off his soda.

Damon scoffed. "Staking won't work on an Original," He stated gruffly as he remembered how he drove a wooden coat rack into the Original's chest only to have him walk around as if it hadn't happened. "I tried it with Elijah already and he wasn't too happy about it afterwards."

Alaric could relate as his memory of daggering Elijah in the back came to his mind. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he was reawaken once again. It didn't matter if Elena was the latest to dagger Elijah, Alaric was sure that the Original would still blame him for his first neutralization period.

"Ripping out the heart or beheading him would work," Meg suggested after slurping up the last drops of her milkshake. "It's not like he could survive without them." She joked before she giggled at the thought of a headless or a literally heartless vampire roaming around the streets. That would definitely freak the humans out.

Dean gave Meg an odd look for her sudden bout of giggles.

"That's true," Sam slowly commented since beheading the other vampire race seemed to kill them.

Alaric nodded in agreement as he took everything in. "But which method do we use?"

"All of them if necessary." Dean stated before he finished the rest of his soda. It wasn't his first choice in drinks but he knew he couldn't be intoxicated tonight.

Before anyone could protest, Meg visibly stiffened in her seat. Her eyes flashed to pitch black for a moment before they returned to normal. Luckily no one outside their group noticed the change.

"What is it?" Sam questioned her as he took in her still rigid posture.

Meg didn't answer at first as she turned her head in a way that it looked like she was casing the joint. It wasn't until her focus was geared towards the far window of the Grill, the one that overlooked the town square, did Meg find the reason for her demonic reaction.

"I can sense a lot of power arriving into town," The demon exclaimed as she turned to face the men.

Everyone's face grew serious at the confirmation. They could plan and plan until the sun came up but it only mattered if they could pull it off when the time came.

"We better get going." Dean suggested before he nudged Sam to get out of the booth so that he could leave.

"It's show time," Damon declared as he stood before they all walked out of the Grill and to their cars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** January 31, 2013


	13. Adios

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Vampire Diaries aspects/dialogue comes from [2x19 – "Klaus"].

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 13 - ADIOS**

* * *

There was no trace of the sun by the time they exited the Grill which was fine for the group. It was easier to hide things in the darkness.

When they reached the Impala, Sam and Dean packed whatever they would need into their duffel bags while Meg concentrated on the power that was entering town. While making sure that prying eyes weren't watching the Winchesters, Damon and Alaric kept their eyes open. Damon took this opportunity to tell Alaric the rest of the plan he had missed out on. With a bit of convincing, Damon got Alaric to agree to Meg repossessing him again so that they could walk into the lion's den without being detected. Alaric didn't like it but if it led to Klaus' death in the end, he would subject himself to Meg's invasion. The demon even had to promise to keep Alaric's body in the same condition it was in before the repossession took place just to placate the humans involved.

After everything was packed, Alaric went to his car while everyone else piled into the Impala before Dean pulled out and drove off to Alaric's apartment building again. Once they arrived, Alaric got out of his car before he joined Meg in the Impala's backseat. Meg repossessed Alaric so that only Alaric's body exited the Impala to join Damon and the Winchesters while Meg's unconscious meatsuit laid in the backseat of the Impala.

"So that's why we're going after an Original," Meg commented after she exited the Impala in Alaric's body. When neither man elaborated, she continued, "To save Elena from Klaus' curse-breaking ritual." She finished with a smirk when she saw Damon's eyes widen yet neither Winchester looked impressed.

"I was wondering when you'd bring it up," Dean grumbled. Demons had access to their host's thoughts and memories and he's been waiting for Meg to just bring the ritual up since her first trip into Alaric. The hunter was just thrilled that no one had told Alaric about Elena being a Winchester yet.

Meg shrugged as she walked towards them. "Well I wasn't paying attention to his thoughts before and even though he's trying to lock me out, I still got the gist of things." She said though she did look impressed at the idea of a human trying to keep her demon self out of his mind while already in his body.

Dean grunted. "Well stop reading his thoughts. The fact that he agreed for you to jump back into him should grant him a free pass." He told her before he continued his way to the front entrance.

Meg sighed dramatically, making it an odd sight since it looked like Alaric was doing it. "If only it were that simple."

Dean rolled his eyes as he refrained from fighting with the demon; they couldn't lose focus now.

Wanting to keep the peace for the time being, Sam diverted the conversation to more important matters. "Is everyone aware of their part?" Sam questioned once they were all in the lobby.

Putting Dean and Meg's banter aside, everyone nodded as they made their way upstairs.

Once they got to Alaric's floor, they split off for a brief moment. Sam and Dean headed for the apartment across from Alaric's while Damon and Meg went for Alaric's door. Meg allowed Alaric to take control long enough to give Damon an invitation into his apartment before he let Meg take control once again. When Damon was able to touch Alaric's door with the intention of pushing it open (something he wasn't able to do last time), it was enough proof for the vampire before he joined Sam and Dean. The brothers then knocked on the door they were at and when they found out that it belonged to one person, Damon compelled them access inside. They would hide out there until it was time for them to make their presence known.

Once Damon and the Winchesters were inside their new hideout, Meg turned back to Alaric's apartment door while keeping in mind that she had to behave like Klaus. She also had to keep in mind that she didn't have much time left before the power surge reached their location.

Music could be heard throughout the apartment, causing the demon to roll her eyes before she unlocked the door with her power before walking inside.

"You mind turning that down?" Meg stated as gruffly as she could to Katherine as she shut the door behind her. She then noticed that Katherine was sitting quietly on the couch. Meg knew from the brief flashes from earlier that Katherine was afraid of Klaus, a fact that Meg was highly pleased of.

Katherine did as she was told. She grabbed the remote and turned the volume down. "Why so grumpy?" She asked out of curiosity yet she hoped that it wouldn't anger the Original any further.

Meg rolled her eyes but she made sure that Katherine didn't see her do it. "That's none of your concern, Katerina." Meg said in her best Klaus imitation as she ventured further into the apartment. "Did the others call with an update?"

"No." Katherine replied with a confused look on her face, "Weren't they supposed to call you?"

"I got cut off. Apparently this human couldn't afford a proper phone plan." Meg complained as best she could; her hesitance hadn't been detected. When she noticed Katherine's acceptance, the demon had to hide her smirk from the vampire. Apparently it never occurred to the vampire to question why the Original would use a human's possessions; a detail the demon was glad was overlooked.

Katherine got up with a bottle of bourbon in her hands. "Do you want a drink?" She offered to Klaus as she made her way towards him. It was still weird for her to see Klaus in Alaric's body.

Meg sighed. "No Katerina, I don't want a drink." She stated but that didn't seem to stop the vampire as she continued her pursuit.

"C'mon, it might loosen you up." Katherine pushed but the demon had enough. She snatched the bottle up and threw it against a wall, shattering it to pieces, before she grabbed Katherine with a menacing look in her (Alaric's) eyes.

"What I want is for you to _sit down and shut up_." The demon fiercely commanded while tapping into her demonic powers to have them mimic Klaus' compulsion technique.

Katherine blinked a few times before she followed her new orders. Meg suppressed the urge to grin at the vampire's obedience yet the demon could feel Alaric smirking on the inside. It seemed like he was enjoying the sight of Katherine being told what to do for once.

Before Meg could move away, movement by the door could be heard before it opened, revealing a well-built young man with brown hair. His aura alone was enough to convince Meg that this was the man, the _witch_ , who had placed the body-hopping spell on Klaus earlier.

"Finally, what took you so long?" Meg protested as she stalked towards the witch.

"Well with the change in pick up time, we had to deal with their additional procedures and…you've got a lot of luggage." The witch explained as two other men walked in with luggage bags hanging from their limbs. _Humans_ , Meg thought to herself since they entered with no invitations and for the mere fact that she felt no magical aura from them.

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Meg declared as she tried to pull off an impatient Klaus; it seemed to be working.

Before the witch could defend himself, a woman walked into the apartment…another witch. "We're sorry, love. I don't see why you rushed for pick up though."

Meg scowled as she gestured to her meatsuit, "I want out of this body. It's served its purpose."

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry love but you've got to stay put for another day." She sorrowfully stated, knowing full well of the Original's temper no matter what body he was occupying.

Meg groaned as two more men pushed in a massive box into the apartment before they joined the other humans in the bedroom. "Must I?" She asked while placing her hands on top of the box. She could sense the same soul she had fought with in Alaric's body back at the boarding house. She just had to open it and check to see if the body did belong to Klaus. She had no doubts but the demon knew that the Winchesters would want a confirmation.

The two witches exchanged glances with one another. It was like they were silently debating on who would break the bad news to their powerful boss. "Unfortunately yes." She slowly confirmed before sending a glare towards the male witch.

Meg's attention was still on the box yet she was fully aware of everyone's position in the rooms. "That is unfortunate since it's not the answer I want." She dragged out before she used her powers to throw the two witches across the room. She then temporarily stripped them access to their powers.

Katherine stared wide-eyed at the display in front of her before a blur caught her attention. Once the blur stopped moving, she noticed that Damon was compelling the humans that had brought in Klaus' things. Soon after, the four humans left without a word, only to bump against the humans Katherine had met earlier as they rushed into the apartment with duffel bags in their hands.

"Where is he?" Dean demanded once he barged into the apartment; Sam closed the door once they were both inside. When Damon had blurred out of their temporary hideout when he did, the Winchesters had immediately followed as they took Damon's abrupt exit as their cue to move.

Meg rolled her eyes as she stared at the hunters. "Before we start, what do I do with _them_?" She questioned with a sneer, all fake mannerisms pushed aside, as she gestured towards the magically restrained witches.

"Both witches?" Dean questioned as he made his way towards the two in question. They were suspended in the air while being restrained to the wall, a position that both Winchesters were familiar with. Dean had to resist the urge to smirk at the role reversal there.

Meg said yes.

"Both loyal to Klaus?" Dean questioned again as he looked the two witches over. He only got glares in return from them.

Meg said yes again.

Dean turned around and walked up to Meg. He first gave Sam a look before he was focused on the demon. "I think you know my answer then," He deadpanned before he moved to join Damon by the massive box.

An evil smirk formed on the demon's face, once again weird since for them it was Alaric's face that was smirking in an evil manner, before she moved her hand up. The witches tensed at the look directed at them as all their attention was on the raised hand. Meg then gave her hand a quick and hard flick to the side; a move the Winchesters saw months ago from Crowley when they first found Kevin hold up in an abandoned church. Two necks snapping were quickly heard before the thumps of their bodies as they hit the ground which elicited four different reactions.

Katherine would have gasped if she was allowed to make a sound; instead her hands flew up to cover her mouth. She was downright terrified now. Demons had more fear to their name than vampires…that was for sure.

Damon scowled down at the dead bodies, muttering 'good riddance' in reference to the pesky witches, from his spot by the massive box that currently housed Klaus' body.

The Winchesters, on the other hand, had blank expressions on their faces but when the sounds were heard, they both flinched. Sam had looked to his brother yet Dean didn't return the glance. He couldn't look at his brother after the call he just made with Meg.

Taking the hint, Sam moved to join Damon and Dean at the box. "Are we sure this is him?" Sam asked while tapping on the box. He decided not to dwell on the dead witches since it wouldn't do him any good so he moved the conversation to more important things; Klaus.

"I'm positive. I can feel _his_ soul inside there." Meg confirmed as she joined them, "I just need to match the face."

Dean nodded. "Well we _need_ to make sure." He stated before everyone pitched in to flip the box onto its side so that they could open it up.

They opened the box to reveal a sleeping man inside who looked to be in his mid-twenties with short, curly blonde hair. He appeared to be wearing a causal suit yet nothing else was inside the box with him.

Meg recognized the sleeping man instantly as Klaus but they needed a firm confirmation. They couldn't trust what images that Meg may have gathered from her encounter with Klaus' soul.

With that being said, Dean gave a pointed look to Meg when he noticed that Katherine hadn't moved once since they arrived, especially when they opened the box.

Meg gave an annoyed sigh after receiving the hunter's silent order. She quickly made her way towards the compelled vampire; for two beings who argued, Dean and Meg managed to be on the same page on many occasions. She bent down slightly as she tilted the vampire's head up so their eyes were connected. " _Katerina, you are to go over there and do whatever the humans say for you to do._ " Meg commanded with the mimic-compulsion she had used before.

Katherine exhaled deeply as she stood up; she was relieved to do such a simple movement again. "You're the demon from earlier aren't you?" She questioned as she unwillingly found herself moving towards the humans. She still didn't know who they were.

The demon smirked as the vampire passed by. "Nice to see you too, cupcake." Meg taunted as she moved to stand in the next available spot around the box.

"Is this Klaus?" Dean asked with his attention still on the unconscious body.

"Why would you expect me to know?" Katherine countered with her hands on her hips.

Dean scoffed before he turned to glare at her. "I'm not stupid, Katherine."

Realizing that his glare wouldn't waver any time soon (or that he wasn't afraid of her) and that everyone else was waiting for her answer, Katherine huffed before she looked into the box. Her breath hitched at the sight of the very man she was enthralled with during the last few weeks of her human life, the very man she had been running from for the entirety of her vampire life.

"It's him." Her voice wavered a bit, something that Damon noticed instantly, yet no one commented on it. After all, they couldn't really blame her for her reaction since the Original had been after her since 1492.

Dean smirked as he looked back down at Klaus' body, "Perfect."

Dean's satisfaction was cue enough for Sam to unzip their duffel bag and pull out an angel blade; they had discussed earlier that this option would be their first since firing the colt would attract unwanted attention. Plus wouldn't a weapon against angels be able to kill anything under it on the mythological ladder? With that in mind and with a firm grip on the silver long dagger, Sam held the blade out to Dean.

Dean looked at the blade before he turned to Damon. "Do you want to do the honors?" The hunter offered the vampire which surprised not only the vampire but everyone else in the room.

Damon chuckled a bit at the position he was in. For a while now he wanted to be the one to kill Klaus for all the trouble he's caused not only for Elena but for him and Stefan as well but the logical part of Damon's brain was telling him to decline the chance of a lifetime. "As much as I'd love to, I'm not sure if I'd die in the process or not." He explained while remembering how the silver daggers worked against vampires who used them; if a vampire daggered an Original, then that vampire would die as a consequence. Although the angel blade is not the dagger, Damon wasn't sure if the same result would occur. "We've come this far, I'm not going to risk it no matter how much I want to drive that into his Original hybrid heart." He finished regretfully as he gave the blade a longing look. He _really_ wanted to be the one to kill Klaus.

Katherine's eyes widened when she heard Damon call Klaus a hybrid but she didn't interrupt. This was the moment she's waited for…she wasn't going to interrupt it now when the deed was so close to being completed. Her freedom was mere moments away.

Oblivious to Katherine's thoughts, Sam's grip tightened on the blade. "You should do it, Dean." He suggested as he offered the blade to his brother again. Sam knew he would kill the Original if he needed to but he figured it would only be right if Dean did it because when it came down to it, the Winchesters were only there because of Elena… _Dean's_ daughter.

Dean stared at Sam for a moment before he reached out to retrieve the blade. An encouraging nod was sent and received between the two brothers as Dean fiddled with the blade for a bit before he gripped it tightly. He steadied his stance before he positioned the blade over the Original's heart.

"Adios," The hunter deadpanned before he plunged the angel blade downward and into the Original's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** February 13, 2013


	14. Ashes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this.

****

* * *

  **CHAPTER 14 - ASHES**

* * *

The moment the blade made contact with the heart, a gasp was heard from the body. Klaus' eyes snapped open before they landed on his attacker. The startled blue eyes of the Original meet the emotionless green eyes of the hunter and yet that didn't stop Dean from driving the stake further into the Original. By the look in his eyes, the hunter knew that the Original wanted to fight for his life in that moment but thanks to the spell, the Original's body remained motionless...powerless.

The others watched as Klaus' skin started to grey with his veins becoming more prominent as it took on a decayed form. Dean never let go of the angel blade until a small flame started from within the body, as if its origin was the Original's heart itself. Damon pulled Dean back in time before the flames blew up in his face. Everyone watched with wide-eyes as the Original's body was consumed by fire yet they could see the angel blade still in pristine condition. When smoke started to appear, Meg used her demonic powers to contain it before any alarms went off.

With everyone's attention on the burning body, Katherine took it as her opportunity to escape since Klaus' compulsions on her should have been lifted once he died. Without thinking, Katherine blurred for the door. She gave a mental cheer when she was able to cross over the threshold yet her elated attitude was short-lived as she found herself being thrown back into the apartment by an invisible force before the front door being slammed shut could be heard. A few chuckles could then be heard before the vampire managed to get her bearings back.

"Oh I don't think so, cupcake. You're not going anywhere." Meg taunted as she watched the vampire try to straighten herself up. She wasn't successful at all.

Katherine growled at the demon's words before she looked up to find not only the demon grinning down at her but Damon as well with his arms crossed over. Her anger quickly turned to fear when she noticed the demon's raised hand.

Katherine turned to pout at Damon in hopes that he would save her but when he only blinked at her, she quickly focused her attention onto the demon in Alaric's body. "You got what you wanted, just let me leave." Katherine argued strongly yet when she saw the demon's hand twitch in any way, she couldn't help but flinch.

Meg slowly shook her head. "Nope. We've got plans for you, Katerina." The demon declared and before the vampire could beg for her freedom, the demon quickly waved her hand, snapping the vampire's neck in the process. She wasn't dead but it would incapacitate her for the time being. Her escape attempt did benefit the group though; it confirmed that Klaus truly was dead when Katherine was able to leave the apartment.

Damon let loose a small victorious laugh. "I can't believe it's over." He stated as he looked between the two lifeless bodies. He still couldn't believe that his two major obstacles were basically defeated within minutes of one another. _I should have called Dean sooner_ , Damon thought out of amusement.

Dean quirked an eyebrow at the vampire; he understood the disbelief and the need to celebrate but the hunter knew never to let his guard down. "Nothing is ever over. Just this particular problem has been solved." He stated before his attention went back to Klaus' burning body; the flames consumed the inside of the box but with Meg's powers, the flames only burned the body.

Sam gave his brother an amused look. "Way to rain on everyone's parade, Dean." He quipped as he held back his grin. He knew they had other problems to deal with, Crowley being the major one, but Sam knew it was important to celebrate the small victories too.

Dean shrugged. "I'm just being realistic," He countered while suppressing his own smile. "We need to get out of here."

With that being said, Meg extinguished the flames with a snap of her fingers. With the angel blade still in place, they closed and locked the box before they all turned it back to its original position. Since it was wheeled in, why can't it be wheeled out?

"I'll take Katherine to the tomb," Damon declared as he pulled out his cell phone while making his way towards Katherine's temporarily dead body. He needed to text Bonnie to meet him at the tomb. While he was sure that she did what he asked her to do earlier, Damon wanted Bonnie there to make sure that the seal worked once Katherine was inside.

Dean nodded before he turned to the other dead bodies in the room. "I'm sure Meg could dispose of the witches while we deal with Klaus…somehow," He voiced while looking between the two spots in question.

Meg rolled her eyes yet she didn't complain. She agreed with Dean that they needed to vacate the area immediately.

"If he doesn't burn completely, we'll get Bonnie to seal the box before we dump it in the Atlantic." Damon suggested as he finished off his text to Bonnie. Once done, he pocketed the phone and turned his full attention to his sire.

Dean's brow furrowed as he gave the massive box a critical look, "It won't fit in the Impala."

"It will in Ric's Tahoe." Damon offered once again as he picked Katherine's body up with ease. Before anyone could say anything, Damon blurred out of the apartment, leaving a small breeze in his wake.

The Winchesters both stared at the now empty spot before they shrugged at one another; they would go with Damon's suggestion.

With the mention of Alaric, Meg decided to speak up. "Do I need to be Ric for anything else or can I return to my meatsuit?" She asked while gesturing down at her current meatsuit.

"Smoke out but come right back up," Dean ordered dismissively before turning to face Sam to discuss their own problem of getting Klaus' boxed body to Alaric's car.

"Yes sir." Meg replied with a mock salute before she smoked out of Alaric's body. She surprised the brothers however when she smoked into the dead female witch's body. She stood up in her new body, brushed off a few specks of dust, before she noticed the questioning looks from the brothers. "What? It's easier this way." She declared before she vanished before their eyes.

Sam and Dean looked to one another before they headed for Alaric's unconscious body. They knew he'd come around in just a few moments.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

The decade dance was a huge successful as all the students and chaperones were dressed up in sixties gear. Everyone seemed to be having a blast whether they were dancing, drinking or talking among friends.

For one particular group of friends, it was an event where they could let their worries go for the moment (whether some wanted to or not) and just be the teenagers they truly were.

One couple in particular was off dancing in their own little world when the boy stopped moving for a brief moment as something else caught his attention. His date immediately noticed that his attention was somewhere else.

"What's wrong, Jer?" Bonnie questioned as she watched Jeremy start to rummage through his pockets.

"One of our phones was vibrating." He explained as he pulled the offending device out. It was Bonnie's phone; she had given it to Jeremy to hang on to since she didn't bring a purse with her for the night. She didn't want to carry it all night or lose it while she was off dancing.

Bonnie took the phone and saw that it was a text message from Damon. She pursed her lips as she reread the message, "Damon needs me at the tomb."

"Now?" Jeremy questioned with a quizzical look. There was less than two hours left of the dance by this point.

Bonnie shrugged as she handed her phone back to Jeremy. "He wants me to test the seal before the _subject_ wakes up," She explained as he pocketed her phone.

Jeremy frowned, "Subject?"

"I don't know but I want to find out now." Bonnie told him as she grabbed his hand and headed for the exit. Maybe if she was face to face with the vampire, she would then get some concrete answers for once that night.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

In the dead female witch's body, Meg reappeared in another state cemetery. She searched the area for a dug up grave before she jumped on in. She smoked out of that body and made her way back to the apartment to reappear in the other dead witch's body. Normally demons wouldn't possess witches but if they're dead, it didn't matter. Meg repeated the process again by popping back to the grave and dumping herself in it before she smoked out once again. She hovered over the cemetery grounds until she found a gravedigger to possess for the final step. Once she was in control, she set the dead bodies she transported on fire with her demonic powers. The flames were so hot that it wasn't long before the bodies were just piles of ash. When it was clear that she left no evidence behind, she smoked out of the gravedigger and returned to her meatsuit that was waiting for her in the Impala.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

As predicted, Alaric woke up with a start once Meg had disappeared with the dead male witch in her possession. He looked around frantically before he felt some water being splashed in his face. He blinked a few times before he turned to the perpetrator.

Sam gave Alaric an apologetic smile as he recapped his flask of holy water. "Welcome back," He stated as he helped the man up.

Alaric nodded before his eyes landed on the massive box. "Did it really work?" He asked the brothers. Even though he was awake during the whole time that Meg had possessed him, it still felt surreal in a way for Alaric.

"Well I'd rather he was extra crispy but it's enough for now." Dean quipped as he gave a firm pat on Alaric's shoulder.

Alaric tried to suppress his chuckles. A few escaped though.

Sam smirked at the two. "C'mon, we've got to get this box out of here." He stated as he headed towards the box in question.

"Then we can celebrate." Dean declared before the three hunters got to work on getting the massive box down to Alaric's car. By the time they arrived at the Impala, Meg's original meatsuit was gone with a note in its place; _call me when Crowley crosses your path, I want in._

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

Damon was waiting at the ruins of Fell's Church when Bonnie and Jeremy arrived. After he blurred out of Alaric's apartment, he had rushed to get to the tomb before Katherine regained consciousness. So once he was at the tomb's entrance, he didn't hesitate in throwing Katherine's body inside. While he waited, he watched her body like a hawk but once he heard twigs being snapped in the woods, he blurred to the top of the steps, only to see Bonnie and Jeremy in the distance.

"Took you long enough," Damon greeted the teenagers the moment he knew they could hear him without yelling.

"Why are we here again, Damon?" Bonnie questioned with a glare but all she got was a smirk from the vampire before he ventured down to the tomb.

Bonnie huffed before she followed the vampire, with Jeremy trailing right behind her.

"I need to make sure the seal works." Damon called back from the bottom of the stairs while the teenagers were walking down.

"It works." Bonnie argued back, lighting the torches in the process with her powers, before her feet met the ground once again.

Damon gave the annoyed witch an amused look before he continued towards the tomb. "I also thought you might want to see this," He declared before he gestured towards the limp body inside the tomb.

Bonnie and Jeremy gave each other questioning looks before they each stepped towards the tomb to get a closer look. Once they were able to see the face of the limp figure, Bonnie gasped before she managed to cover it up while Jeremy stared wide-eyed at the limp figure of his sister's vampire doppelganger.

Both teens immediately turned to face the grinning vampire. "How?" They both questioned.

Damon chuckled a bit for their curiosity. "First I want to make sure that she's stuck in there."

Jeremy gave the vampire a skeptical look, "Again how since you're not going into the tomb to test it."

Damon smirked as he moved to stand between the two teenagers, his arms being thrown over their shoulders. "Exactly so either Little Gilbert goes in and tries to carry Katherine out or Witchy tries to bring her out with her powers _without_ interfering with the seal. Take your pick." He suggested while looking between the two. Once the options were delivered, he removed his arms and moved to lean against the stone door.

Bonnie pursed her lips as she thought of the options. She knew that she had to do it but she wanted to know one thing. "Why Jeremy?"

Damon shrugged. "Well Alaric doesn't have his ring anymore and I could have called Meg back but she's dealing with something else at the moment." He stated dismissively as he watched them make their decision.

"Meg?" Jeremy asked since he didn't know a Meg yet the name was familiar to him somehow. He hadn't heard it in a while but it did sound recognizable to him for some reason.

"If she sticks around long enough you may just meet her." Damon declared, mistaking Jeremy's reaction for confusion, before he clapped his hands together. "So what will it be?"

Jeremy made a move for the tomb but Bonnie held him back with her arm. When he turned to give her a questioning look, she shook her head before she directed his attention back to the tomb. When Jeremy turned back around, he noticed that Katherine's limp body was slowly sliding its way towards the tomb's entrance, courtesy of Bonnie and her powers.

Once Katherine's body reached the entrance, her body stopped moving. Bonnie used a bit more of her power but she was unable to shift Katherine over the tomb's threshold. When it was obvious that Bonnie couldn't remove Katherine from the tomb, she turned to give Damon a triumphant smile. He didn't return it though as he told Jeremy to try to pull Katherine across since he would be able to grab a hold of her without entering the tomb. Jeremy did as he was told and after a few hard tugs, the human was unsuccessful in removing the vampire from the tomb.

Damon laughed at what he was seeing; Katherine truly was stuck inside. "Now that's just fantastic," He exclaimed before he told Bonnie to push Katherine further into the tomb with her powers. She didn't hesitate to do just that. Once Damon heard a loud thud inside the tomb, he snickered before he moved to lift the stone door into place. With it in place, Damon told Bonnie to seal the door into place and have it so that he could only move it; he didn't need a repeat of what happened last time with the tomb. Bonnie completed the task in less than five minutes.

Damon stepped back a bit to look at Bonnie's handiwork as he brushed the imaginary dirt from his hands. This seemed to irritate Jeremy as his patience was wearing thin; he wanted answers. "Damon what the hell is going on? How'd you find Katherine?"

Damon gave the teenager an impressed look before he shrugged, "Klaus had her compelled at Ric's place."

Jeremy frowned while Bonnie pursed her lips; they didn't understand. "Then how'd you get her out? I thought an Original's compulsion could only be undone if they compelled the reversal or if they…" She trailed off since the other option wasn't possible in this situation.

Damon smirked. "Or if they what?" He prodded as he closed the distance between them.

Bonnie shook her head before she gave him a defiant look, "Or if they were daggered but Klaus can't be daggered." She countered since that was one of the main reasons why they used the dagger on Elijah instead of saving it for Klaus. Through the Martins, Bonnie knew that Elijah's plan against Klaus was magic, not some silver dagger dipped in white oak ash.

"Oh, we did something worse than dagger Klaus." Damon declared with a dangerous glint in his eyes while his smug smirk grew.

"Worse?" Jeremy's voice hitched a bit since he couldn't think of anything worse. Bonnie was thinking along the same lines as her boyfriend.

Damon chuckled darkly as he looked the two teenagers in the eye. "We killed the evil son of a bitch." He declared before he walked passed them and to the stairs.

Bonnie and Jeremy stood frozen in their spots as the news resonated through their minds. _Klaus was dead?!_

"You two coming or what?" Damon called back, snapping the teenagers out of their stunned stupors. "I feel the need to celebrate." He exclaimed before he walked up the stairs. _If there was ever a time to have a party, it was now;_ Damon thought to himself as he pulled his phone out. It was time to inform Stefan of the news…or a version of it for now.

> _**Boarding House ASAP. Bring Elena.** _   
>  _**News will be told once you arrive.** _   
>  _**You won't want to miss it brother.** _   
>  _**~D** _

Damon typed out before he put his phone away and blurred into the night.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

"Stefan what is Damon playing at?" Elena demanded as she slammed the door of Stefan's Porsche once he parked in front of the boarding house. She was irritated that the reason they left the dance (which she was having fun at with no problems) early was because of a text from Damon that told them nothing.

Stefan sighed as he followed his girlfriend up the lawn. "I don't know Elena." He stated before he stopped in his tracks.

"At least Sam and Dean are back," She commented as she passed Dean's Chevy Impala after passing Alaric's Tahoe. She continued for a few more steps until she couldn't hear Stefan behind her; he's made it a habit to make some noise so that she wouldn't be startled by his appearance. She turned around, only to notice his tense posture along with this confused look on his face. "What is it?"

Stefan tilted his head to the side before it clicked to him what was wrong. "Something's burning," He declared before he rushed to enter the boarding house at human speed so that Elena could keep up. He thought something smelled odd in the air once he stepped out of the car; he just couldn't place it at first.

Elena's eyes widened at her boyfriend's words before she rushed after him. "What?" She asked even though she wasn't expecting an immediate answer as she followed Stefan throughout the main floor until they made it to the backyard.

"What's going on?" Elena heard Stefan call out before she managed to get to the backyard. She was then able to see why Stefan was so commanding in his question as he glared at the scene before them; three men standing around a burning box. Elena thought it was odd but she immediately recognized Sam, Dean and Alaric standing in front of the flaming box. Another odd thing was that the box itself wasn't catching on fire.

The three men turned to face the couple, as they were watching the fire before they realized they had company.

"Oh hey, how was the dance? Damon warned us you may be coming back sooner than expected." Dean greeted the couple with a smirk as he got the formalities out of the way as quickly as he could; he chose to ignore the vampire's glare that was directed at him.

With the mention of his brother, Stefan looked around for the man who gave him the urgent text. "Where is he?" Stefan questioned when he saw no signs of Damon.

Before any of the men could answer the vampire, a slight breeze appeared followed by Damon's sudden appearance beside Elena. "Right here," Damon declared, startling Elena in the process. The vampire chuckled by the reaction he caused before he swung an arm around her shoulder. "I would have just hitched a ride with Judgy and Little Gilbert but I wanted to be here for the news." Actually that wasn't true, Damon had no plans on riding back with them, he'd much rather blur home so that he wouldn't miss the big unveiling.

Elena tried to put some space between her and Damon but when that didn't work, she sighed. "Where are they?" She questioned in regards to her brother and her best friend.

Damon shrugged. "They are about five minutes away. They already know so they won't mind." He stated dismissively before a mischievous grin formed on his face.

Stefan gave his brother a skeptical look; he was also not pleased with Damon's closeness to Elena. "Know what?" The younger Salvatore only got a bigger grin from the older one as his answer.

"Does that mean it was a success?" Dean cut in since it was obvious that Damon wasn't going to reveal anything just yet. The hunter knew how the vampire liked to make dramatic moments by extending the inevitable in certain cases.

Damon turned his head and gave a gleeful grin to Dean, "It worked like a charm. She won't be a problem anymore."

The three human men looked to one another as victorious grins started to show on their faces as a few laughs were also released in the process.

Elena huffed in her spot; she felt out of the loop. "Damon, what are you talking about?" She demanded; she never liked it when Damon withheld information from her like this, which was kind of hypocritical of her since she did hide things from him on occasion.

"More importantly, what are you burning?" Stefan added in while his attention went back to the burning box behind the hunters.

Damon took that moment to look at the burning box, his eyebrow raised in question. "I thought he'd be ash by now." He said to no hunter in particular but it was loud enough for all three hunters to hear him.

Dean chuckled as he moved towards the box. He reached down to pick up the extinguisher that they brought with them since Meg wasn't there to put the fire out for them. He didn't hesitate to foam up the flaming body. Once the flames were nonexistent, Dean handed the extinguisher to Sam before he moved to pull the angel blade out of Klaus' body. The moment the blade left the scorched body, it dematerialized into ash that was covered by foam. The brothers looked to one another before they looked back at the foam covered ash pile; it was as if the angel blade was what kept the burnt body in a corporal form for as long as it did. Dean released a disbelieving chuckle as he looked between the blade and the ashes before he looked up at the waiting trio. "Don't worry…he's ash now." He reassured them with a smirk.

Elena was still confused yet she didn't miss the feel of Damon's laugh as it resonated throughout his body, starting from his chest; he continued to hold her to his side.

Stefan stared at the Winchesters with a quizzical look on his face as it shifted between them and the blade in Dean's hand, a blade he never saw before. "He?" He finally managed to ask after realizing that the blade was just a long silver dagger.

"Take a guess little brother and I assure you…you won't be brooding for the rest of the night." Damon quipped over Elena. He was in such a good mood that he ignored the elbow jab that Elena tried to give him for his teasing comment to his brother.

"I don't brood," Stefan countered with a frown.

Damon rolled his eyes; he couldn't believe that _that_ was the part of his comment that Stefan had focused on. "Are you going to guess?" He asked with a challenging look in his eyes.

Stefan's brow furrowed when he couldn't think of a plausible name for the situation they've seemed to find themselves in. Klaus came to mind but then Stefan would remind himself that his brother couldn't have eliminated the most powerful vampire of all time in one night, especially since Bonnie (their weapon against the Original) was within Stefan's sights the whole night while Damon was off doing his own thing.

"Just tell us who's burning in that box!" Elena shouted since the silence was becoming too irritating for it. No one would say anything as Damon waited for Stefan's guess on who was now ash in the box.

Damon sighed dramatically as he crouched down a bit so that his lips were just by her ear. "You're no fun Elena and after everything we've done for you…all I wanted was to get a little fun out of it." Damon exclaimed while playing at her guilt for just a bit since he enjoyed people's reactions and Elena's were just the best in his opinion…well as long as they weren't destructive reactions that would harm her in the long run.

Elena gritted her teeth as she suppressed the shiver that wanted to run freely up her spine. "Who…is…in…the…box?" She slowly demanded before she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She was tired of waiting for an answer and the fact that Damon still had his arm around her made her more on edge than ever (she didn't want to focus on why that was either).

Dean rolled his eyes as he watched Damon verbally toy with Elena. If the hunter didn't have any suspicions before about the two, he definitely had them now. Just their close proximity to one another was telling as well as the fact that they both seemed to be at ease with one another's presence when to others they (mainly Elena) came off as being annoyed by the closeness. He found the game amusing but enough was enough, he decided to cut his daughter some slack. "It's Klaus. He's dead." He announced with a straight face. He watched as Elena's head snapped towards him, her eyes wide due to the shock of his news. He couldn't really blame her.

The vampire groaned; the hunter had ended his fun. "Dean!" Damon whined before he pouted at the hunter. Damon wasn't upset though and Dean knew that due to the playful glint that was still present in the vampire's blue eyes. It seemed like nothing could ruin their moods tonight.

Dean shook his head before he smirked at the vampire; the look was instantly returned to him. "Stop torturing my daughter, Damon. She has the right to feel at ease since it's obvious that the suspense would have killed her." He joked before he noticed the looks around him. Alaric's stunned expression was the most noticeable as he quickly looked between Dean and Elena to see if there was a similarity that he had previously overlooked.

Elena, on the other hand, looked like a fish out of water as she opened and closed her mouth. She didn't know what to say and whenever she thought she did, she would lose the nerve before she spoke it out loud. Everyone was patient though until she was able to say something to the hunter with the blade. "He's dead?" She whispered while trying to keep her hope in check. She didn't know if she could handle it if he took it all back and yelled 'gotcha' at her.

Dean's smirk softened as it transformed into a reassuring smile. "Klaus won't be a problem for you anymore and as long as Elijah is daggered, _no_ Original will bother you ever again." He told her with a look that spoke volumes, a look that promised her that she won't be a pawn to the Originals anymore. It was a look that scared and thrilled her to the bone; scared due to the intensity of it yet thrilled because the danger had been lifted off of her.

"Katherine won't be a problem either," Damon piped in for good measure when Elena didn't respond to Dean's words.

Stefan's head snapped to look at Damon with a surprised look. "She's alive?" He asked in disbelief since he thought, along with Damon, that Klaus would have killed Katherine the moment he got his hands on her.

Damon nodded as Elena remained frozen by his side.

Stefan didn't know how to react to the news that his sire, the vampire that destroyed his and his brother's life, was still alive. "I thought Klaus would have killed her once he got a hold of her." He said mainly to his brother while everyone else remained silent; they were basically waiting for Elena to process the news of Klaus being dead.

Damon shook his head. "Nope, he needed her to better blend in as Ric." He explained before he sent a sideways glance towards the human in question.

"Doesn't matter now, she's trapped in the tomb again." Dean stated dismissively, not wanting to hear about the vampire doppelganger anymore, but it seemed to do the trick as Elena started to shake her head before she turned to look at Damon.

"That's why you needed Bonnie…to reseal the tomb." Elena quietly stated as she connected the rest of the pieces slowly in her mind.

Damon nodded. "The fact that Katherine could leave the apartment after Dean killed Klaus was proof enough that he was actually dead. All his compulsion on her had worn off." He elaborated before anyone had the chance to interrupt him.

At the sound of his name, she turned to look at the hunter. "You killed him?" Elena asked her father with a shocked expression. For some reason, she thought Damon might have been the one to kill Klaus since he was the fastest among their group.

Dean nodded. Without thinking about it, Elena leaped out of Damon's hold as she barreled towards Dean. It was only a few seconds later that Dean felt her small frame collide into his chest before he felt her arms wrap around his waist. He was floored; he wasn't expecting such a reaction from her. Once it registered to him that she was hugging him, he slowly wrapped his arms around her to return the hug.

"Thank you," Elena mumbled into Dean's chest a few moments later as she relished the moment. Isobel was right; Dean had come through for her, her father came through for her.

Instinct took over for the hunter and before he realized it, Dean kissed the crown of Elena's head. "You're welcome kiddo." He mumbled back to her as she remained in his arms. The squeeze around his waist was the only indication he needed to know that she heard him.

Sam smiled at the display between his brother and his long-lost niece. He turned to face Alaric, only to see the stunned look on his face. Sam nudged his shoulder, causing the history teacher/vampire hunter to shake his head as if he were in a daze.

"I clearly missed more than I thought," Alaric commented as he looked to Sam.

Dean laughed as he and Elena pulled out of their hug. She didn't completely pull away though so Dean flung his arm around her shoulder before he turned to face his fellow hunter. "Let's start from the beginning then shall we?" He offered before he guided Elena inside.

Everyone followed the father/daughter duo inside only to be greeted by the arrival of Bonnie and Jeremy. While the new arrivals pushed for answers, Damon took the distraction as his chance to relocate Klaus' burnt box to the basement. He rejoined the others just in time for their amateur debriefing. With a glass of bourbon in hand, the vampire listened as the day's actions were summed up for those who were at the dance.

Once everything was revealed when it came to Klaus' demise, no one objected when Damon suggested that it was now time to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** February 21, 2013
> 
> **VD Canon Discrepancies:** The issue with the vampire bloodlines does not apply yet since that was uncovered in season 3. The true whereabouts of the daggered Originals have been ignored since Elijah doesn't officially reveal this in the series until 2x21. Basically anything revealed in canon after 2x17 ('Know Thy Enemy') is left unknown to the characters unless I have written it into the story.
> 
> **Klaus' Compulsion on Katherine:** The way I see it is that Klaus' compulsion on Katherine (or any vampire) had been lifted once he died...much in the same manner as if any of the other Originals were daggered then their compulsions would have been lifted as well on any vampire under their control (which Katherine had revealed to Damon after Elijah was daggered and she was freed from the tomb).
> 
> **Reasons Why I had Dean Kill Klaus:** Hold the phone before you tell me how Dean killing Klaus was unreasonable (or too easy)! The way I see it, the Winchesters are very capable of taking down an immortal such as Klaus because lets face it, after taking down Lilith (first demon created), Lucifer  & Michael (two of Heaven's powerful archangels), Dick Roman (leader of the Leviathans, which were God's most feared creations) and Eve (Mother of All Creatures/Monsters), taking down Klaus should be a piece of cake for them. Plus another thing that always worked for the Winchesters was that timing was everything during their final showdowns, especially with the previously mentioned bad guys. They could be bloody and on the brink of death with no upside in sight for them to be victorious and yet timing is always what got the Winchesters' their victories (ie: Dean killing Azazel in SPN 2x22). So the fact that they took the opportunity when they did, it was essential. (Plus I didn't want to drag it out). It also proved that actions have consequences and since Klaus was so confident that he'd blend in seamlessly as Alaric, his cockiness didn't allow himself to be concerned for his body's safety once he had placed himself in a vulnerable position (Klaus was too cocky for anyone to recognize his body-hopping plan while he was still executing it). Also with the added motivation that Elena was Klaus' main target, Dean is going to be more motivated than ever to save his daughter (we all know how Dean feels about protecting his family). While the final plan may seem 'too easy', you have to remember that Dean has been planning for that moment for 5-years so he would have gone through a lot of possible scenarios and a lot of research before he got to the one that worked. Plus why wouldn't an angelic weapon work on a creature created by magic? In my eyes, there is no contest.
> 
> **Klaus' Death:** If you still think Klaus' death was unreasonable...just think back to the VD season 3 finale (3x22). **_VD SPOILER!_** Evil!Alaric had staked Klaus' dessicated body (his immobile body) and yet the only reason that Klaus never died in that moment was because his soul was residing in Tyler's body. Its why Dean needed confirmation that Klaus' soul was still inside the immobile body of the Original before killing him. I mean if Evil!Alaric (who was a technically a newborn vampire) could 'kill' Klaus like this, why couldn't Dean?


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of Vampire Diaries or of Supernatural; those belong to their original creators. The way it's all stringed together is of my making. No profit is being made out of this. Any recognizable Supernatural aspects/dialogue comes from [8x07 – "A Little Slice of Kevin"].

****

* * *

  **EPILOGUE**

* * *

After their night of celebration in honor of Klaus' demise and Katherine's entombment, Sam and Dean decided to stay at the boarding house for a little bit longer instead of returning to Rufus' cabin in Whitefish, Montana. During their stay, not only did everyone tie off any loose ends when it came to Klaus (mainly sealing up and spelling Elijah's daggered body) but both Sam and Dean had their turn in getting to know Elena, in their own way, and everyone she cared about but most of the bonding happened between the newly reunited father and daughter.

Although for the Winchesters, bonding with Elena wasn't that simple due to the remaining adults that she had in her life; Jenna and John. The mess that John had created by calling in Isobel had to be resolved when it came to Jenna so with the help of Sam and Damon, Dean took it upon himself to help not only Elena but Alaric as well when it came to mending the broken dynamic that John had set into motion.

The only way to do that was to tell the truth…the _whole_ truth.

No one liked that idea but Dean didn't care; he saw what happened to oblivious people and yet he saw what happened to fully aware people when it came to the supernatural. Neither option was safe but with Damon's help, Jenna would have the ultimate decision to make in the end.

And that's what Dean and Damon did; they gave Jenna a choice.

_Everyone was waiting anxiously in the Gilbert's living room for Jenna to return home. She had been staying on campus to avoid everyone since Isobel had showed up at their doorstep a few nights ago. They were just waiting to see if Jeremy's text to his aunt is what would bring her back home._

_Sure enough, the sound of a car door closing could be heard outside before the clicking of a lock was heard at the door shortly afterwards._

" _Jeremy? I got your text, what's…wrong?"_ _Jenna called out and trailed off at the end when she noticed the crowded living room._

_What truly caught her attention were the two unknown men standing beside a tied up John with duct-tape over his mouth. She then noticed that Elena and Jeremy were sitting calmly on one of the couches while Alaric and Damon were standing along the back wall._

" _What's going on? Why is John tied up?"_ _Jenna questioned while slowly taking a step back. She couldn't understand how everyone she knew could be so calm while two strangers stood by a tied up man. Was this a robbery gone wrong?_

" _So he can listen and not interrupt what we're about to discuss." The shorter of the two strangers stated as he slowly approached Jenna with his hands up._ _"He's done enough damage as it is."_

_Jenna's brow furrowed out of confusion; she knew John was troublesome but what could he have done to anger two strangers?_ _"What damage?"_

" _By bringing Isobel back to town,"_ _He continued while keeping his eyes on Jenna but noises of John trying to disagree could be heard from behind the approaching stranger. It got to a point that the taller stranger had to apply a bit of pressure to John's clavicle until he got the message to be quiet. Eventually he got it._

_Jenna's breath hitched when she heard Isobel's name, a name that brought a lot of pain and betrayal to her heart._ _"I don't want to hear their excuses or their lies."_ _She declared before she turned to walk away but she didn't get far until the first stranger's voice stopped her in her tracks._

" _You're going to want to hear this because it has everything to do with Elena's safety."_ _He firmly stated and he was pleased when Jenna stopped once Elena was mentioned. He knew if anything, bringing Elena into the conversation would grab the graduate student's attention._

_Jenna turned back to glare at him._ _"Who did you say you were again?"_

_The stranger smirked as he continued to approach her._ _"I didn't but my name is Dean Winchester. I'm an old friend of Damon's and Ric's."_

" _Two people I happen to not like at the moment."_ _Jenna declared with a scoff before she crossed her arms over her chest, as if she was getting ready for a stand down with this Dean Winchester guy._

_Dean chuckled for her fiery attitude before the amusement was wiped from his face, something Jenna wasn't expecting so instantly._ _"That's a shame because I also happen to be Elena's biological father."_

" _But I thought…"_ _She trailed off as her wide eyes moved between Dean, Elena and John. She was under the impression that John had been Elena's biological father but when her eyes landed on the tied up man in question, all she saw was a stunned expression which only confirmed to Jenna that John had believed that he was Elena's father from the start. What confused Jenna though was that Elena didn't look surprised by the news…Jenna could only conclude that another lie had been told to her._

_Noticing Jenna's betrayed look to Elena, Dean hurried to explain enough to get Jenna to sit down and hear him out._ _"Only me and Isobel knew the truth of who Elena's father was and there is a reason for that. A reason that would explain any lie or excuse that was ever fed to you."_

_She didn't want to hear the explanation but a part of her had a feeling that she needed to._ _"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"_

_Dean shrugged as he took his final steps towards Jenna._ _"You probably won't but we're giving you an option. If this gets too much for you, then just say the word and Damon will take it all away."_ _He offered before he looked to Damon who only nodded; he and Dean had already discussed the option beforehand, even when everyone else was against Damon's involvement, especially Stefan._

" _How?"_ _She questioned while giving him a suspicious look. The option didn't seem plausible or realistic to her in anyway._

" _It will be explained but just know that you have that option."_ _Dean stated before he gestured for Jenna to take a seat._

_Jenna sighed before she walked around to take an empty seat by Elena._ _"Okay, let me hear it."_ _She declared with her full attention on Dean._

And so she did; Dean told Jenna everything, with Sam and the others (minus John) filling in a few things along the way. She didn't learn the extensive history of the Winchesters but she knew the basics of what they did and why Dean stayed away from Elena for as long as he did. Jenna learned about vampires, Isobel, Klaus and about the predestined fate that Elena had because she was born as the Petrova doppelganger. To say she was shocked was an understatement but to everyone's surprise, Jenna didn't want all the supernatural knowledge to be erased like Dean and Damon had offered her in the beginning.

After all that family drama was taken care of, Elena's bonding time with the Winchesters was much easier to pursue. There were quite a few times when Sam and Dean received invitations for dinner, from either Elena or Jenna, at the Gilbert house during their stay in Mystic Falls. It was a great way for both sets of families to get acquainted with one another. One of them happened to be a celebration of Sam's birthday when the time came which was a memorable experience for the hunter. Even Alaric had joined them as he and Jenna were mending their relationship now that she knew the truth.

Aside from those dinners, Elena would bond with Dean during his 'hunter lessons' as she's come to call them. He would either take her to practice her shooting or practice her fighting skills or he'd tell her stories about his past. When it came to Sam, Elena usually spend her time getting to know her uncle through academics. Whenever she needed some help with her homework, she always found herself going to him for some advice or help which usually came with his own stories about his life, whether it was about hunting, his time at Stanford or the very few times he wasn't involved in hunting at all. No matter which form of bonding she participated in, Elena found that she loved it. The only times anyone ever saw Elena without either Winchester was when she was at school with her friends. They all understood her need to spend time and get to know this new family she had discovered but it seemed to put a strain on Elena's relationship with Stefan since neither Winchester wanted anything to do with the youngest Salvatore vampire which was tough since they were all currently living under the same roof.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

**Early May 2014**

It's been three weeks after Klaus' demise and Elena found herself having another great day at the shooting range with Dean; she was improving her aim with every visit. They were currently driving back on a deserted road from Richmond after a productive morning of practicing since that was the closest shooting range place to Mystic Falls. At the moment, the music was practically nonexistent in the Impala yet it didn't seem like either passenger noticed as their attentions were focused on one another.

"Out of all the questions you could have asked and you ask me that," Dean stated with a shake of his head as his eyes remained on the road. It has become a thing of theirs that they'd treat their drives together as a 20-questions type thing. So far, it's been great.

Elena gave him an innocent smile from the passenger seat. "Like you said, I could ask you _anything_."

Dean rolled his eyes; immediately regretting ever giving her free-range on her questions. "You know…you are one weird kid, Elena."

She shrugged. "Well what did you expect…I'm _your_ kid after all." Elena teased easily. After three weeks of getting to know Dean, it had gotten to the point that she could easily state their connection but they both knew that Grayson Gilbert would still be Elena's father in her eyes. Dean was okay with that.

"That you are," Dean stated proudly with a laugh before he noticed a figure walking alongside the road up ahead.

"So are you going to tell me?" Elena pushed hopefully since it was a topic that Dean always deflected from. While on some level, she could understand why Dean didn't want to talk about it but her curiosity just wanted to know that part of him that she got to miss out on.

Unaware of the figure they just drove by, Elena was surprised when Dean pushed on the brakes before reversing the car back a few feet. She turned to see what he was looking at but when she found nothing but trees, she turned to face him.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly when she noticed that his face was a little pale.

"It's nothing," He said a few moments later before he turned around and started driving back to the boarding house in silence.

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

Unfortunately for Dean and Elena, their bonding was going to be cut short once they arrived at the boarding house. The two managed to find Sam on the couch with his laptop while Damon was making some more drinks by his beloved trolley cart of alcohol. Stefan had used Elena's absence as his chance to go hunting.

"Hey guys." Elena greeted as she and Dean ventured further into the room. Dean was still trying to wrap his head around what he saw earlier but his silence was starting to worry Elena.

"So did Buffy have a good time?" Damon quipped as he passed Elena a drink. He started nicknaming her Buffy once Dean started to train her in the basics in self-defense. There were a few times that he helped in those lessons if Dean needed Elena to practice with someone with a supernatural advantage.

Elena took the small glass but before she could drink it, Dean snagged it and gulped it down instantly. From an outsider, some may see this as Dean's way of stopping Elena from drinking but the intensity of the action caused Sam to worry.

"Dean, are you okay?" Sam questioned from his spot on the couch. Elena and Damon each gave the older Winchester a concerned look of their own.

Dean turned to face Sam with a blank look before Damon offered him another glass of his own. He took it with a nod before he focused on Sam again. "Yeah, I'm cool. What's up?"

Sam noticed the uncertainty but he didn't push it as he got started on telling Dean about a preschooler that went missing under some weird circumstances just recently, along with a few others over the last few weeks.

"Alright, so, uh, are you thinking demons?" Dean questioned as he moved to stand behind Sam so that he could see the online articles he found.

"Yeah, possibly, but...I mean, this stuff was major. These folks have nothing in common – no religious affiliations, different hometowns, all ages. Why would demons want _them?_ " Sam elaborated yet it was obvious to Elena (who watched in silence) that he was stumped on finding a motive.

Dean shrugged. "Why do demons want anything?" He countered before he slapped Sam lightly on the shoulder. "Uh, so, are we on this?" He questioned yet his eyes trailed to Elena, as if he was gauging how well she'd take the news of them possibly leaving. He didn't want to leave but he knew that he had to.

Knowing where his brother's head would be at with a question like that, Sam looked to Elena as well.

With both Winchesters looking at her, Elena started to nibble on her lower lip. During one of her bonding sessions with Sam, she learned that he was trying to track down a prophet named Kevin who was their key in closing the gates of Hell forever. She knew it was an important mission and by the sounds of these missing cases, demons were involved which meant that Kevin could be involved somehow. On the one hand, she didn't want the Winchesters to leave but on the other hand, she knew that the Winchesters were needed to find those missing people. How could she get in the way of that?

"I guess duty calls for you guys." She sadly stated as she tried to give them a reassuring smile.

Sam sighed; he didn't like the idea of leaving his niece either…he couldn't image what Dean must be feeling about the idea. "Yep."

***VD*SPN*VD*SPN*VD***

It was about an hour later when Sam and Dean were packed and ready to hit the road to Salina, Kansas, where the preschooler went missing. By then, it seemed like Elena had spread the word about their departure since all her friends and family who knew the Winchesters had come by the boarding house to say their goodbyes. The sight was odd for the Winchesters but deep down they were touched.

A majority of the group had thanked the Winchesters again for their hand in killing Klaus while those part of the Gilbert clan (minus John) had invited the Winchesters to come back whenever they wanted. Dean even asked Alaric to continue the basic training lessons that he had started with Elena; Alaric accepted.

Everyone was surprised however when it came time for Dean and Damon to say goodbye to each other. The hunter and vampire managed to exchange a one-arm hug with one another before Dean whispered to Damon to take care of his daughter and to not give up on her. Damon didn't hesitate in reassuring Dean that such a request didn't need to be asked before he pulled back. It shouldn't have surprised everyone but then again, not everyone knew of the time Damon and Dean had spent together hunting and building a working friendship almost a decade ago. The hunter then moved onto his daughter, leaving everyone wondering what was said between Damon and Dean; only a stunned Caroline knew since Stefan's animal diet had weakened his enhanced hearing quite a bit.

"I guess this is it." Dean stated, with his hand on the back of his neck as he walked with Elena to the front yard. He was never good at goodbyes, he always hated them and yet this one was the worst for him.

"You'll come back though…right?" Elena quietly asked even though it was such a loaded question to begin with.

Dean sighed. "I'll do my absolute best but I need you to do something for me Elena. Can you do that?" He wished that he could promise her that he would return but with his lifestyle, it wasn't easy to keep a returning promise like that.

"Anything," She said with a nod.

Dean tilted Elena's head up so he was looking directly into her eyes, so he could know that she was truly registering what it was he was saying and so that she could see how serious he was with his words. "If things get tough, I want you to always remember that there is always another way…you just have to fight and find it. And I don't need you sacrificing yourself ever again, you got it? You've got a full life ahead of you. I want you to embrace it and live it."

"I will," Elena agreed before blinking a couple of times; she was trying to hold back her tears.

"Because us Winchesters don't give up without a fight and I have a feeling that the Gilberts raised you with that same mentality." Dean continued before a smirk appeared on his face.

"You're damn right we were." Jeremy piped in with a mischievous smile on his face, causing everyone to laugh at his timed interruption.

Dean and Elena smiled and laughed a bit for the tension being broken before she hugged him tightly around his waist. He returned the hug before he placed a kiss on her forehead; it was getting to the point that his affections for his daughter came naturally to him.

"Be careful okay, kiddo." He whispered to her before he pulled back and away from her.

"The same for you and Sam." She parroted back with a nod before she rushed to give Sam a quick hug.

The Winchesters then hopped into the Impala before they drove off, leaving the rest of the Mystic Falls gang to wave goodbye from the boarding house's front lawn.

Elena brushed away a lone tear just before it fell from her eyes when Damon walked to stand beside her. "Don't worry about them. They have survived much worse than a demon case. You'll see them again." He declared before he sipped on his newly acquired bourbon glass; he poured himself one during Dean's goodbye to Elena.

"How do you know?" Elena questioned after turning to look up at the vampire, who saw the need in her eyes for his words to be right.

Damon smiled softly at her, having no need to mock or use sarcasm for this moment. "Because death couldn't keep neither of them away from their family Elena, that's how I know they will return to you…because you are part of their family." He assured with finality and Elena couldn't help but smile for Damon's words because he was right. Sam and Dean have both gone to heaven and hell (and Purgatory in Dean's case), either for the other or for the sake of the world, and yet they still returned to Earth after it all. It was proof that both the Winchester brothers would fight to get back to their dysfunctional family; Elena just found some comfort in the fact that she was part of that Winchester family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Originally Published on FFN:** February 27, 2013
> 
> **Note:** Sara Canning plays VD's Jenna Sommers and SPN's Lydia (the mother of Dean's Amazon daughter in 7x13). For the sake of this story, just pretend that Lydia was played by a different woman.


End file.
